Extensions of a consensus algorithm are introduced for systems modelled by second-order dynamics. Variants of those consensus algorithms are applied to tackle formation control problems by appropriately choosing information states on which consensus is reached. Even in the absence of centralised leadership, the consensus-based formation control strategies can guarantee accurate formation mainte...

This paper presents analysis and design results for distributed consensus algorithms in multi-agent networks. We consider continuous consensus functions of the initial state of the network agents. Under mild smoothness assumptions, we obtain necessary and sufficient conditions characterizing any algorithm that asymptotically achieves consensus. This characterization is the building block to obt...

This paper presents an approach for building consensus ontologies from the individual ontologies of a network of socially interacting agents. Each agent has its own conceptualization of the world. The interactions between agents are modeled by sending queries and receiving responses and later assessing each other’s performance based on the results. This model enables us to measure the quality o...

Fault-tolerant computing is the art and science of building computer systems that continue to operate normally in the presence of faults. The fault tolerance field covers a wide spectrum of research area ranging from computer hardware to computer software. A common approach to obtain a fault-tolerant system is using software replication. However, maintaining the state of the replicas consistent...

The present paper contains a brief outline of my PhD thesis that is centered on the critical review of a certain number of basic topics and on the proposal of some formalized methods for the resolution of environmental conflicts. The paper describes the thesis and presents its foundations, its critical contributions and its main results and ends with some conclusions and a brief description of ...

The present paper contains a brief outline of my PhD thesis that is centered on the critical review of a certain number of basic topics and on the proposal of some formalized methods for the resolution of environmental conflicts. The paper describes the thesis and presents its foundations, its critical contributions and its main results and ends with some conclusions and a brief description of ...

Designing a building or a new urban space is collaborative work that involves several people with different backgrounds. To achieve consensus all participants in the process meet to discuss documents such as floor plans and sections. This paper reports on the progress of Space Pen, a new system to allow several users to draw on and annotate a three-dimensional representation of a building remot...

We respond to the comments (https://doi.org/10.5964/ps.9227) on our “Ten Steps” paper (https://doi.org/10.5964/ps.6029), focusing most prominent themes: (1) What motivates scientists?, (2) Consensus-building (Is field ready? May there be adverse side-effects? How shall we do it?), (3) may institutional change facilitated?, (4) Diversity (of participa...