Autonomy-based multi-agent systems: statistical issues

This paper describes an autonomy-based multi-agent system and its application to simulations in the framework of collective robotics. Experimental results measured for a particular task, namely object regrouping, have two outcomes. First, they show that a form of implicit cooperation takes place in the system despite the absence of explicit cooperation protocol, but just in virtue of the design of the system. Second, they indicate that it is possible to effect the way the task is achieved by appropriately introducing obstacles that modify the environment of the agents. A preliminary partial characterization of the concept of emergence is proposed and its illustration to our experimental system is given.