Continuification control of large-scale multiagent systems under limited sensing and structural perturbations

Abstract: We investigate the stability and robustness properties of a continuification-based strategy for the control of large-scale multiagent systems. Within continuation-based strategy, one transforms the microscopic, agent-level description of the system dynamics into a macroscopic continuum-level, for which a control action can be synthesized to steer the macroscopic dynamics towards a desired distribution. Such an action is ultimately discretized to obtain a set of deployable control inputs for the agents to achieve the goal. The mathematical proof of convergence toward the desired distribution typically relies on the assumptions that no disturbance is present and that each agent possesses global knowledge of all the others' positions. Here, we analytically and numerically address the possibility of relaxing these assumptions for the case of a one-dimensional system of agents moving in a ring. We offer compelling evidence in favor of the use of a continuification-based strategy when agents only possess a finite sensing capability and spatio-temporal perturbations affect the macroscopic dynamics of the ensemble. We also discuss some preliminary results about the role of an integral action in the macroscopic control solution.