Agent cloning: an approach to agent mobility and resource allocation

Multi-agent systems are subject to performance bottlenecks in cases where agents cannot perform tasks by themselves due to insufficient resources. Solutions to such problems include passing tasks to others or agent migration to remote hosts. We propose agent cloning as a more comprehensive approach to the problem of local agent overloads. Agent cloning subsumes task transfer and agent mobility. According to our paradigm, agents may clone, pass tasks to others, die, or merge. We discuss the requirements of implementing a cloning mechanism and its benefits in a multi-agent system, and support our claims with simulation results.