Tuning Synthetic Pheromones With Evolutionary Computing

Abstract

Agents guided by synthetic pheromones can imitate the dynamics of insects. These systems are well suited to problems such as the control of unmanned robotic vehicles. We have developed a model for controlling robotic vehicles in combat missions using synthetic pheromones. In the course of our experimentation, we have identified the need for proper tuning of the algorithms to get acceptable performance. We describe pheromones in natural and synthetic systems, and describe the mechanisms we have developed. The role of evolutionary computing in offline and online tuning is discussed.