Consensus and Cooperation in Networked Multi-Agent Systems

Source: PDF mirror of the Proceedings of the IEEE paper Authors: Reza Olfati-Saber, J. Alex Fax, Richard M. Murray Date: 2007-01 Venue: Proceedings of the IEEE 95(1)

Key points

• Provides a general framework for consensus protocols in networked multi-agent systems.
• Defines consensus as reaching agreement on a quantity of interest through local interaction rules among neighbors rather than through a single coordinator.
• Connects topology directly to behavior: spectral properties of the interaction graph influence convergence speed, robustness, and information diffusion.
• Shows where peer-to-peer agreement is strong and where it is costly, which makes it useful as a commit or estimate mechanism rather than a universal substitute for all coordination.