Date of Award

4-23-1999

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Mathematics

First Advisor

Dr. Gary R. Greenfield

Abstract

We consider the problem of simulating communication between independent, autonomous agents, or machines, using only local rules with no global control over the agents' behavior. First, we construct an algorithm by which the machines will avoid collisions with each other and with boundaries or obstacles. Noting that collision avoidance alone will not result in higher-level behavior, and with the goal of creating agents which would self-organize, we begin to develop a signalling system by which agents can communicate. This leads to a new method for modeling agent motion in the plane. Throughout, we are motivated by possible linkages between our agent models and the biological realm.

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