ABSTRACT:
Complex systems are usually difficult to design and control. There
are several particular methods for coping with complexity, but there
is no general approach to build complex systems. In this book I pro-
pose a methodology to aid engineers in the design and control of com-
plex systems. This is based on the description of systems as self-
organizing. Starting from the agent metaphor, the methodology pro-
poses a conceptual framework and a series of steps to follow to find
proper mechanisms that will promote elements to find solutions by ac-
tively interacting among themselves. The main premise of the method-
ology claims that reducing the "friction" of interactions between el-
ements of a system will result in a higher "satisfaction" of the system,
i.e. better performance.
A general introduction to complex thinking is given, since designing
self-organizing systems requires a non-classical thought, while prac-
tical notions of complexity and self-organization are put forward. To
illustrate the methodology, I present three case studies. Self-organizing
traffic light controllers are proposed and studied with multi-agent
simulations, outperforming traditional methods. Methods for im-
proving communication within self-organizing bureaucracies are ad-
vanced, introducing a simple computational model to illustrate the
benefits of self-organization. In the last case study, requirements for
self-organizing artifacts in an ambient intelligence scenario are dis-
cussed. Philosophical implications of the conceptual framework are
also put forward.
