Multi-agent Distributed Framework for Swarm Intelligence

This paper presents a multi-agent distributed framework for Swarm Intelligence (SI) based on our previous work ACODA (Ant Colony Optimization on a Distributed Architecture). Our framework can be used to distribute SI algorithms for solving graph search problems on a computer network. Examples and experimental results are given for SI algorithms of: Ant Colony System (ACS) and Bee Colony Optimization (BCO). In order to use the framework, the SI algorithms must be conceptualized to take advantage of the inherent parallelism determined by their analogy with natural phenomena (biological, chemical, physical, etc.): (i) the physical environment of the swarm entities is represented as a distributed multi-agent system and (ii) entities’ movement in the physical environment is represented as messages exchanged asynchronously between the agents of the problem environment. We present initial experimental results that show that our framework is scalable. We then compare the results of the distributed implementations of BCO and ACS algorithms using our framework. The conclusion was that our approach scales better when implementing the ACS algorithm but is faster when implementing BCO.