Game theoretic Control for Complex Systems of Systems

Modern society is based on large-scale, interconnected, complex infrastructures, e.g. power, transportation and communication systems, with network structure and interacting subsystems controlled by autonomous components and human users, generically called “agents”. These systems possess the features of “complex” systems of systems (C-SoS), such as rationality and autonomy of the agents, and require effective multi-agent coordination and control actions for their safe and efficient operation. Multi-agent optimization has attracted an extraordinary amount of research attention as a methodology to let agents cooperatively coordinate their actions, but it is inappropriate and ineffective for systems with noncooperative (selfish) agents, virtually all modern C-SoS.

A paradigm shift is necessary to ensure safe and efficient operation of complex systems with possibly noncooperative agents. With this aim, COSMOS shall embrace dynamic game theory and pursue a twofold scientific and technical objective:

1) to conceive a unifying framework for the analysis and control of complex, multi-agent, mixed cooperative and noncooperative, systems;

2) to provide automated computational methods for solving coordination, decision and control problems in C-SoS.

To achieve these goals, COSMOS will adopt a novel operator-theoretic approach, and integrate methods within and across dynamic game theory, networked multi-agent systems and control, statistical learning, stochastic and mixed-integer optimization. 

The expected project outcomes are a mathematical theory, algorithms and automated software that can ensure safe and efficient operation of C-SoS populated by mixed cooperative and noncooperative agents, in the presence of network coupling, adversarial and stochastic uncertainty, discrete and continuous decision variables. COSMOS shall develop the potential of dynamic game theory and raise it to a whole new level where it can have a high impact on fundamental sciences and engineering.

Project team members

Dr. ing. S. (Sergio) Grammatico
Postdoc Barbara Franci
PhD Alfiya Kulmukhanova
PhD Suad Krilasevic

Keywords

Control engineering, Cyber-physical systems of systems; Distributed control; Monotone game theory; Scenario approach.

Sponsored by

ERC-2018-STG