Top-down vs bottom-up methodologies in multi-agent system design

Traditionally, two alternative design design approaches have been available to engineers: top-down and bottom-up. In the top-down approach, the design process starts with specifying the global system state and assuming that each component has global knowledge of the system, as in a centralized approach. The solution is then decentralized by replacing global knowledge with communication. In the bottom-up approach, on the other hand, the design starts with specifying requirements and capabilities of individual components, and the global behavior is said to emerge out of interactions among constituent components and between components and the environment. In this paper we present a comparative study of both approaches with particular emphasis on applications to multi

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2008
• Where: AROBOTS
• Authors: Valentino Crespi, Aram Galstyan, Kristina Lerman
• Keywords: AROBOTS 2008, Design, Global Knowledge, Top-down Approach