Multi Agent Dynamics and Consensus
Abstract
ARO W911NF-23-S-0001: Multi Agent Dynamics and Consensus PI Prof. Pramod Viswanath Game theory studies the dynamics of interactions between multiple agents; pioneered by the works of Nash and Von Neumann in the 1940 s, the eld is a corner stone of modern control theory. The study of the fundamental limits of distributed consensus in the presence of faults was initiated by Lamport, Pease and Shostak in the early 1980 s and is the basis of distributed computing. Both elds study the problem of designing optimal, reliable and robust distributed systems but there has been surprisingly limited cross-fertilization of ideas in the past 40 years. Distributed dynamic game platforms are a novel abstraction that provide consensus among mistrusting distributed agents communicating over an uncertain broadcast medium and brings both elds, dynamic games and distributed computing, inside of a common rubric. This allows the formulation of novel problems and cross-fertilization of ideas across both technical disciplines. In this proposal we propose and study 3 canonical problems in dynamic games that arise naturally through the lens of distributed dynamic game platforms. In the rst thrust we study novel Byzantine-resistant resource allocation problems moti- vated by distributed dynamic games. In the second thrust we study how to bring multiple agents to consensus when their participation is varying; this problem is motivated by dis- tributed dynamic games operating in resource constrained (wireless) environments. In the third thrust we study the forensics properties of multi-agent games arriving at consensus: we aim to cryptographically identify Byzantine actors based on their overt actions. This project builds on a previously funded ARO project connecting information and coding theory with distributed ledger technologies.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 28, 2023
- Source ID
- W911NF2310147
Entities
People
- Pramod Viswanath
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Princeton University
- United States Army