Stabilization Methods for a Multiagent System with Complex Behaviours

The main focus of the paper is the stability analysis of a class of multiagent systems based on an interaction protocol which can generate different types of overall behaviours, from asymptotically stable to chaotic. We present several interpretations of stability and suggest two methods to assess the stability of the system, based on the internal models of the agents and on the external, observed behaviour. Since it is very difficult to predict a priori whether a system will be stable or unstable, we propose three heuristic methods that can be used to stabilize such a system during its execution, with minimal changes to its state.