02024nam a2200157   4500008004100000020002200041245005000063210004900113260002600162520156600188653002201754653001201776653002201788100002301810856003301833       2007                        eng d  a978-0-9831172-3-000aDesign and Control of Self-organizing Systems0 aDesign and Control of Selforganizing Systems  aMexicobCopIt Arxives3 aComplex systems are usually difficult to design and control. There are several particular methods for coping with complexity, but there is no general approach to build complex systems. In this book I pro- pose a methodology to aid engineers in the design and control of com- plex systems. This is based on the description of systems as self- organizing. Starting from the agent metaphor, the methodology pro- poses a conceptual framework and a series of steps to follow to find proper mechanisms that will promote elements to find solutions by ac- tively interacting among themselves. The main premise of the method- ology claims that reducing the "friction" of interactions between el- ements of a system will result in a higher "satisfaction" of the system, i.e. better performance. A general introduction to complex thinking is given, since designing self-organizing systems requires a non-classical thought, while prac- tical notions of complexity and self-organization are put forward. To illustrate the methodology, I present three case studies. Self-organizing traffic light controllers are proposed and studied with multi-agent simulations, outperforming traditional methods. Methods for im- proving communication within self-organizing bureaucracies are ad- vanced, introducing a simple computational model to illustrate the benefits of self-organization. In the last case study, requirements for self-organizing artifacts in an ambient intelligence scenario are dis- cussed. Philosophical implications of the conceptual framework are also put forward.10aComplexity Theory10aPhysics10aSelf-organization1 aGershenson, Carlos  uhttp://tinyurl.com/DCSOS2007