The problem of guiding a flock of several autonomous agents using repulsion force exerted by a smaller number of agents is called the shepherding problem and has been attracting attention due to its potential engineering applications. Although several works propose methodologies for achieving the shepherding task in this context, most assume that sheep agents have the same dynamics, which only sometimes holds in reality. The objective of this discussion paper is to overview a recent research trend addressing the gap mentioned above between the commonly placed uniformity assumption and the reality. Specifically, we first introduce recent guidance methods for heterogeneous flocks and then describe the prospects of the shepherding problem for heterogeneous flocks.

翻译：利用少量智能体产生的排斥力引导一群自主智能体的行为称为牧羊问题，因其潜在的工程应用价值而受到广泛关注。虽然已有多种方法实现这一任务，但大多数研究假设羊群智能体具有相同的动力学特性，这种假设在实际中往往不成立。本文作为一篇探讨性论文，旨在综述近年来针对上述普遍存在的同质性假设与现实差异问题的最新研究趋势。具体而言，我们首先介绍针对异质群体的最新引导方法，随后阐述异质群体牧羊问题的未来展望。