  We investigate the stability and robustness properties of a
continuification-based strategy for the control of large-scale multiagent
systems. Within continuation-based strategy, one transforms the microscopic,
agent-level description of the system dynamics into a macroscopic
continuum-level, for which a control action can be synthesized to steer the
macroscopic dynamics towards a desired distribution. Such an action is
ultimately discretized to obtain a set of deployable control inputs for the
agents to achieve the goal. The mathematical proof of convergence toward the
desired distribution typically relies on the assumptions that no disturbance is
present and that each agent possesses global knowledge of all the others'
positions. Here, we analytically and numerically address the possibility of
relaxing these assumptions for the case of a one-dimensional system of agents
moving in a ring. We offer compelling evidence in favor of the use of a
continuification-based strategy when agents only possess a finite sensing
capability and spatio-temporal perturbations affect the macroscopic dynamics of
the ensemble. We also discuss some preliminary results about the role of an
integral action in the macroscopic control solution.
