Evolution of controllers for mobile ad hoc networks

This paper describes a study of the evolution of distributed behavior, specifically the control of agents in a mobile ad hoc network, using neuroevolution. In neuroevolution, a population of artificial neural networks (ANNs) are subject to mutation and natural selection. For this study, we compare three different neuroevolutionary systems: a direct encoding, an indirect encoding, and an indirect encoding that supports heterogeneity. Multiple variations of each of these systems were tested on a problem where agents were able to coordinate their collective behavior. Specifically, movement of agents in a simulated physics environment affected which agents were able to communicate with each other. The results of experiments indicate that this is a challenging problem domain for neuroevolution, and although direct and indirect encodings tended to perform similarly in our tests, the strategies employed by indirect encodings tended to favor stable, cohesive groups, while the direct encoding versions appeared more stochastic in nature.