1. A method for computing properties of a physical environment using a plurality of agents deployed within the physical environment, wherein each agent comprises, a communication capability, a processor coupled with the communication capability, and a memory connected with the processor, and wherein the plurality of agents make use of physical properties of inter-agent communication in order to form a distributed representation of non-local properties of the physical environment, the method comprising the steps of: a. triggering at least one initiating agent; b. transmitting a signal from the initiating agent to agents neighboring the initiating agent; c. processing the signal at each of the neighboring agents with a cost value based on local properties along the respective path between the initiating agent and each neighboring agent; d. selecting, from the signals received, a new signal to transmit; e. treating the neighboring agent as an initiating agent of the processed signal, and repeating the transmitting and processing steps; and f. at each agent, locally retaining at least one cumulative cost value representing information regarding non-local properties of the physical environment based on signals received.