Swarm Approaches for the Patrolling Problem, Information Propagation vs. Pheromone Evaporation

This paper deals with the multi-agent patrolling problem in unknown environment using two collective approaches exploiting environmental dynamics. After specifying criteria of performances, we define a first algorithm based only on the evaporation of a pheromone dropped by reactive agents (EVAP). Then we present the model CLInG [10] proposed in 2003 which introduces the diffusion of the idleness of areas to visit. We systematically compare by simulations the performances of these two models on growingcomplexity environments. The analysis is supplemented by a comparison with the theoretical optimum performances, allowing to identify topologies for which methods are the most adapted.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2007
• Where: ICTAI
• Authors: Hoang Nam Chu, Arnaud Glad, Olivier Simonin, François Sempé, Alexis Drogoul, François Charpillet
• Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, ICTAI 2007, Multi-agent Patrolling Problem, Theoretical Optimum Performances, Unknown Environment