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Self-Assembling Networks

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the sysadmins-out-of-a-job dept.

prostoalex writes "Researchers from Humboldt University found a way to build self-assembling networks. By emulating the behavior of ants and insects the team, which is led by Frank Schweitzer, demonstrated a simulation where agent-based architecture was able to quickly assemble itself into a network and quickly react to a broken link or damages. Schweitzer's research papers are available off his personal Web site. The scientific paper referred in the original article, Self-Assembling of Networks in an Agent-Based Model is available off Cornell server."

8 of 112 comments (clear)

  1. We already have one of those. by Maradine · · Score: 5, Funny

    My network team looks *just* like a swarm of ants when the network goes down.

    --

    trustedworlds.net - gaming, security, and the gunk that lives in between

  2. Suddenly the expression... by routerwhore · · Score: 5, Funny


    "this network looks like a bunch of spiders having an orgy" has new meaning...

  3. Self-assembling intelligence next? by wiggys · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Taking this idea one step further, what if each computer node on the network was given a basic set of rules so that it emulated a bunch of brain cells. Would the network self-organise to create some sort of intelligence?

    --

    Sorry, but my karma just ran over your dogma.

    1. Re:Self-assembling intelligence next? by Neuronerd · · Score: 5, Informative

      It turns out that already today all successful applications of socalled "artificial intelligence" are self assembling.

      In the first approaches to artificial intelligence people used programming languages to obtain systems that generate intelligent or at least apparently intelligent behavior.

      All newer approaches to artificial intelligence start with a large number of very simple units that, learning from data from the real world, develop specific patterns of connections. Many models even develop their own structure in such a way.

      From my perspective is intelligence as well as artificial intelligence only possible in a system that can self-structure.

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  4. Maybe we should use the borg icon for this one... by MeanE · · Score: 3, Funny

    "We are your network...ect..ect...we will adapt"

  5. I can see it now! by Neck_of_the_Woods · · Score: 5, Funny


    HUB, "MALFORMED PACKET!!!! AHHH!!!! - HELP HELP HELP! I am lost!"

    Router "Calm down, this is nothing compared to the broadcast storm of 93. Everything will be alright."

    HUB, "Thank you,"

    Router "These simpletons, when will they ever learn just to ignore that packet."

    ala - bugs life.

    --
    Neck_of_the_Woods
    #/usr/local/surf/glassy/overhead
  6. Potential by perspex · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This could be really cool for ad-hoc wireless networks.

  7. A good research work by varjag · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The paper is indeed very interesting and innovative, but keep in mind that it is very far from being suitable to embed into your next 802.11 adapter.

    While this approach is indeed appealing, it has still some drawbacks, e.g:
    - generally, you can't tell what your topoligy your network will end up having, so forget about architecting one
    - it does not guarantee that all your nodes will end up being networked within a fixed number of attempts (see the fig. 3 in the paper)
    - it tends to require significant redundancy of interchangeable nodes to function well

    Such approach can work well, say, for military field communications, but would be clearly suboptimal for building a corporate network.

    And of course, as most of agent research, this is still too far from established technology ready for production.

    --
    Lisp is the Tengwar of programming languages.