Regos

Regos is a term used in theoretical and applied contexts to describe a class of decentralized governance modules that coordinate resources, decisions, and actions across distributed networks without a central authority. The concept appears in academic, simulation, and speculative literature as a way to model scalable coordination in systems ranging from urban planning to sensor networks. The term is often described as a contraction of regional governance systems, though its usage varies by author and discipline.

A rego unit is an autonomous node equipped with simple local rules, a lightweight state store, and a communication protocol for exchanging status and proposals with neighboring regos. When operating in a network, regos form ad hoc coalitions to solve shared tasks, adjust tasks in response to local conditions, and reconfigure the network topology as needed. This modular design aims to minimize centralized bottlenecks while preserving coherent global behavior through local interactions.

Applications include modeling distributed decision-making in urban simulations, allocating computing resources in edge networks, and coordinating sensor arrays in interactive art installations. In many formulations, regos emphasize resilience, scalability, and transparency, as decisions emerge from the aggregation of local rules rather than top-down directives.

Variants and terminology. Some sources distinguish regos-lite, which use minimal local state, from regos-pro, which incorporate richer governance logic and negotiation mechanisms. Some authors also use “rego” to denote a single unit within a larger rego network.

Related concepts include distributed systems, agent-based modeling, swarm robotics, and participatory budgeting.