Shaping Couzin-Like Torus Swarms through Coordinated Mediation

Human-swarm interaction methods often allow a human to influence a swarm through either leadership or predation. These methods of influence have two main limitations: (1) although leaders sustain influence over nominal agents for a long period of time, they tend to cause all collective structures to turn in to flocks (negating the benefit of other swarm formations) and (2) predators tend to cause collective structures to fragment. We introduce the use of mediators as a novel shared control method for human-swarm influence and use mediators to shape Couzin-like tori [1]. The mediator method uses special agents that operate from within the spatial center of a swarm. This approach allows a human operator to transform and move a dynamic torus formation while sustaining influence over the torus, avoiding fragmentation, and maintaining the torus' connectivity. The use of mediators allows a human to mold and adapt the torus' behavior and structure to a wide range of spatio-temporal tasks such as military protection and decontamination tasks.