Specifying protocols for multi-agent systems interaction (original) (raw)

Implementing Multi-Agent Systems: Languages, Frameworks, and Standards

2019

As multi-agent systems research nears the end of its second decade, researchers have moved beyond stand-alone, one-off systems and have begun to create the software infrastructure for quickly creating new, highly interoperable systems. However, the desire for seamless interoperability ("open" systems) brings with it the push to standardize on agent communication languages and related agent service facilities. Although a host of theoretical and practical controversies surround the specification of such standards, some shared, guiding principles have emerged.

Interoperability in Multi-Agent Systems: Lessons Learned

Today there is a substantial number of Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) tools available to the agent developer. Part of them, for reasons of performance and development easiness, were built according to some particular language/protocol, making difficult or hindering the communication of its agents with others developed with different languages and protocols. Despite the increasing effort in the definition of standards for agent communication protocols and languages, the heterogeneity in MAS is a fact that is there to stay. This paper reports experiences of turning an MAS tool, Saci, interoperable. The solution is based on a CORBA bridge that enabled agents written in CORBA-mapped languages to communicate with other native Saci agents, without changing its architecture or programming style.

Evaluating the FIPA Standards and Its Role in Achieving Cooperation in Multi-Agent Systems

2000

The paper focuses on the analysis and evaluation of certain aspects of the current specification standards provided by FIPA (Foundation of Intelligent Physical Agents). The work reported here is based on the development of a multi-agent application, an audio video entertainment broadcasting (AVEB) system. This has resulted in determining advantages and limitations of using the FIPA standards to build complex Multi-agent Software Systems. The development and testing of the AVEB application are part of an EU project called FACTS (acts AC317). A main result of using FIPA has been the identification of the usefulness and power of its protocols. The reason for the importance of the protocols in developing multi-agent systems (MAS) is it provides a degree of expressing cooperation within MAS architecture. As the protocols stand currently they are not sufficient to capture a complete explicit model of the cooperative requirements in multi-agent systems. However, they provide a basis from which to start. We examine this feature of FIPA further in order to evaluate its role as a bridge between the mental agency and social agency requirements in the development of cooperation in mult-agent systems.

Standardizing Agent Interoperability: The FIPA Approach

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2001

A prolific number of different Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) and associated applications have been developed in numerous research institutes and industrial laboratories worldwide. Perhaps the most important barrier to MAS making a successful transition from this research environment towards widespread adoption for consumer products and businesses, is the lack of interoperability between heterogeneous MA Systems. In 1996, the Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents (FIPA) was formed to provide a forum for developing specifications for agent systems. Since its formation, FIPA has increasingly focussed more on standardizing (multi-agent system) agent interoperability. As a result, it is often said that FIPA really stands for the Foundation for InteroPerable Agents. In this article, we discuss both technical and scientific issues in defining standards for interoperability between agents in different MA systems with a particular focus on the FIPA agent interoperability standards.

Interoperability through a Platform-Independent Model for Agents

2007

Various agent-oriented methodologies and metamodels exist to describe multiagent systems (MAS) in an abstract manner. Frequently, these frameworks specialise on particular parts of the MAS and only few work has been invested to derive a common standardisation which limits the impact of agent-related systems in commercial applications. In this paper, we present a metamodel for agent systems that abstracts from existing agent-oriented platforms. Furthermore, we illustrate how an agent-oriented software development process in accordance to the model-driven development (MDD) approach could be formulated around the abstract view on agent systems and thus (i) further the development process of agent systems to increase the interoperability among agent platforms and (ii) facilitates the interoperability of agent platforms and potential areas of application.

A language and protocol to support intelligent agent interoperability

1992

We describe a language and protocol intended to support interoperability among intelligent agents in a distributed application. Examples of applications envisioned include intelligent multi-agent design systems as well as intelligent planning, scheduling and replanning agents supporting distributed transportation planning and scheduling applications. The language, KQML for Knowledge Query and Manipulation Language, is part of a larger DARPA-sponsored Knowledge Sharing Initiative focused on developing techniques and tools to promote the sharing on knowledge in intelligent systems. We will de ne the concepts which underlie KQML and attempt to specify its scope and provide a model for how it will be used.

Improving the Interoperability in Multi-agent Systems

During the design and development of multi-agent systems, all aspects related to interoperability among each of the individual agents, that form part of the distributed system, require special attention. This paper shows how communication agents facilitate the interoperability between the components of multi-agent systems. These agents are in charge of the communication between other agents. They increment the flexibility of distributed systems and facilitate the incorporation of new agents into such systems. A multi-agent advisory system is an example of an architecture of this type and it is presented in this paper.

Semantic Web Services for Multi-Agent Systems Interoperability

Progress in Artificial Intelligence, 2019

Agent-based technologies are often used including existing web services. The outputs of some services are also frequently used as inputs for other services, including other MAS. However, while agent-based technologies can be used to provide services, these are not described using the same semantic web technologies web services use, which makes it difficult to discover, invoke and compose them with web services seamlessly. In this paper, we analyse different agent-based technologies and how these can be described using extensions to OWLS. Additionally, we propose an architecture that facilitates these services' usage, where services of any kind can be registered and executed (semi-)automatically.

Towards full agent interoperability

. This paper introduces a CORBA service dedicated to the transport of agent communication. It explains how this service completes the emerging standards in agent technology to enhance interoperability, while supporting peculiarities of mobile agents. It also shows how this service may be customized to support a variety of message-based agent communication models.

Agent interoperation across multiagent boundaries

2000

Recently the number of autonomous agents and multiagent systems MAS that have been developed by di erent developers has increased. Despite e orts for the creation of standards eg. in communication languages, registration protocols etc., it is clear that at least in the near term heterogeneous agents and MASs will be prevalent. Therefore, mechanisms that allow agents and or MASs to interoperate and transact are needed. In this paper we report on a case study and lessons learned of an interoperator agent we developed. We discuss requirements for interoperation mechanisms, resulting challenges and our design decisions and implementation of the RETSINA-OAA InterOperator 1 .