Multi Agent System With

This book is the first in a new series entitled "Intelligent Systems Reference Library". It is a collection of chapters written by leading experts, covering a rich and diverse variety of computer-based techniques, all involving some aspect of computational intelligence (CI). Authors in this collection recognize the limitations of individual paradigms, and propose some practical and novel ways in which different CI techniques can be combined with each other, or with more traditional computational techniques, to produce powerful problem-solving environments.

The scientific theme of the book concerns “Manufacturing as a Service (MaaS)” which is developed in a layered cloud networked manufacturing perspective, from the shop floor resource sharing model to the virtual enterprise collaborative model, by distributing the cost of the manufacturing infrastructure - equipment, software, maintenance, networking - across all customers.

In this book, we present our systematic investigations into consensus in multi-agent systems. We show the design and analysis of various types of consensus protocols from a multi-agent perspective with a focus on min-consensus and its variants. We also discuss second-order and high-order min-consensus. A very interesting topic regarding the link between consensus and path planning is also included.

This book presents the recent computational developments inspired by swarms in art known as swarm art and discusses applying swarm intelligence concepts in architecture. Non-human art is a great leap in the evolution of contemporary art, removing the requirement of an artist’s production from the creative process. Furthermore, it is a critical declaration in opposition to the anthropomorphic vision which is so destructive for all other life forms and the planet’s ecology. When accepted and integrated into human culture, non-human art done by artificial systems or machines boosts creativity and stimulates innovative fusions.

Multi-agent system (MAS) is an expanding field in science and engineering. It merges classical fields like game theory with modern ones like machine learning and computer science. This book provides a succinct introduction to the subject, covering the theoretical fundamentals as well as the latter developments in a coherent and clear manner. The book is centred on practical applications rather than introductory topics.