Stigmergic Collaboration: A Sign-Based Perspective of Stigmergy

Insects build architecturally complex nests and search for remote food by collaboration work despite their limited sensors, minimal individual intelligence and the lack of a central control system. Insets´ collaborations emerge as a response of the individual insects to Stigmergy. A sign-based model of Stigmergy to discuss collaboration is proposed in this paper where we picked up “sign” as a key notion to understand it. Therefore, sign is the link of all the components in a Stigmergic complex adaptive system. Based on this understanding, we propose a definition that reveals the nature of signs and exploit the significations and relationships carried by the notion of sign. Then, a sign-based model of Stigmergy is consequently reached, which captures the essentials of Stigmergy. A basic architecture of Stigmergy as well as its constituents are presented and discussed. At last, some applications of the model are discussed.