An Object-Oriented Framework for Building Software Agents (original) (raw)

Agent architecture as object oriented design

… Agents IV Agent Theories, Architectures, and …, 1998

Improving the development of agent intelligence requires improving the mechanisms of that development. This paper explores the application of an established software methodology, object-oriented design, to agent development in two ways. We present a distributed agent architecture, Edmund, and describe first its own object-oriented structure. Then we relate the methodology for developing agent behaviors under Edmund. We explain how this methodology exploits key aspects of object-oriented design, particularly the development of the class hierarchy, as a prototype for agent design.

Platforms for agent-oriented software

2000

The use of modelling abstractions to map from items in the real-world to objects in the computational domain is useful both for the effective implementation of abstract problem solutions and for the management of software complexity. This paper discusses the new approach of agent-oriented software engineering (AOSE), which uses the notion of an autonomous agent as its fundamental modelling abstraction. For the AOSE approach to be fully exploited, software engineers must be able to gain leverage from an agent software ...

Software integration architectures for agents

2008

Many modern artificial intelligence (AI) systems, including both real physical robots and animat-based models are structured using intelligent agents. A key challenge for building large and complex AI systems is to manage the agent interactions in an appropriate architecture that supports complexity in a scalable and hierarchical manner. In this article we review various agent architectures for both physical and simulated robot systems, and show how appropriate agent communications protocols can be developed to support artificially intelligent systems based on communities of interacting agents. As well as reviewing some of the architectures and supporting software tools and technologies, we present our own ideas for a software architecture for managing intelligent agents. We emphasise the importance of being able to incrementally augment the set of agents as new ideas are developed. We describe how key activities such as agent navigation in physical and simulated spaces; agent communication; world state management and sensory integration all need to be managed in an appropriate framework to support individual agents that will take responsibility for tasks and goals.

A software architecture-based taxonomy of agent-oriented programming languages

2007

This paper proposes a new taxonomy for agents and their programming languages and platforms. This taxonomy is based not only on properties that agents exhibit, but also on the deliberative control flow that they follow. After analysing the main characteristics of each class of agent, we describe the relevant languages and platforms included in each class. The article compares these different classes, highlighting their main advantages and drawbacks, and suggesting some enhancements which could improve current agent-oriented programming languages.

From Object-Oriented Modeling to Agent-Oriented Modeling

Optimal Information Modeling Techniques

The use of intelligent agents is on the rise, fueled by the unprecedented growth in the internet and web based applications. Consequently, agent-oriented software is becoming large and complex. To support a systematic development of such software, an agent-oriented software development methodology is necessary. This chapter focuses on the modeling phase of agent-oriented software life cycle and, presents an approach for agent modeling consisting of Agent Elicitation, Intra, and Inter Agent modeling methods. Agent Elicitation deals with identifying and extracting agents from “classes” in the real world. Intra Agent Modeling involves expressing agent characteristics æ Goal, Belief, Plan and Capability æ whereas, Inter Agent modeling incorporates agent mobility and communication in a multi- agent system.

Agent Paradigm for Adaptable Architecture

The Journal of Object Technology, 2004

Dynamic changes to an architecture is an active area of research within the software architecture community. Architectures must have the ability to react to events and perform architectural changes autonomously. In this paper, we focus on dynamic architectures reconfiguration. Our principle is to use the agent architectural concept to achieve this functionality with respect to some quality attributes. Hence the questions that we are currently facing: what are the architectural principles involved in building adaptable architecture? How should these architectures be evaluated? In addition, we adopt the B formal method to support design specifications for agent software architecture. Formal modeling of a specification of our agent software architecture enables us to analyze and reason about it with mathematical precision and allows obtaining the abstract specification of the initial architecture formally. Besides, the design decisions are stored with the goal of making the reconfiguration tasks easier by the agent. This paper describes work in progress and presents some interesting ideas connected to architectural agents. AGENT PARADIGM FOR ADAPTABLE ARCHITECTURE 170 J OURNAL OF OBJECT TECHNOLOGY V OL. 3, NO. 8 Chose modeling technique Model Modeling technique Apply to problem Style System model Architectural style Architecture Refine Instantiate style for problem Chose architectural style activity product Requirements Agent Data base

A Software Agent Architecture Pattern

Our main objective is to demonstrate that agent techniques can be used successfully in web applications. Developing systems using agents covers a wide range of issues that might be overwhelming, particularly in a teaching environment. After describing essential qualities of software agents we present the Software Agent Architecture Pattern, used for teaching agent concepts and for reuse by undergraduate students in the development of course projects. Future plans include a working example based on this approach and a framework to develop web applications using agents.