Abstract
This paper relates an experience in using a component model to design and construct agents. After discussing various rationales and architectural styles for decomposing an agent architecture, we describe a model of component for agents, named MALEVA. In this model, components encapsulate various units of agent behaviors (e.g., follow gradient, flee, reproduce). It provides an explicit notion of control flow between components (reified through specific control ports, connexions and components), for a fine grain control of activation and scheduling. Moreover, a notion of composite component allows complex behaviors to be constructed from simpler ones. Two examples, in the domain of multi-agent based simulation, are presented in this paper. They illustrate the ability of the model to facilitate both bottom-up and top-down approaches for agent design and construction and also to help at different types of potential reuse.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bellifemine, F., Poggi, A., Rimassa, G.: Developing Multi-Agent Systems with a FIPA-compliant Agent Framework. Software Practice and Experience 31, 103–128 (2001)
Bordini, R., Braubach, L., Dastani, M., El Fallah Seghrouchni, A., Gomez-Sanz, J.J., Leite, J., O’Hare, G., Pokahr, A., Ricci, A.: A Survey of Programming Languages and Platforms for Multi-Agent Systems. Informatica 30, 33–44 (2006)
Brazier, F., Dunin-Keplicz, B., Jennings, N., Treur, J.: Formal Specification of Multi-Agent Systems: a Real-World Case. In: 1st International Conference on Multi-Agent Systems (ICMAS’95), San Francisco, CA, USA, pp. 25–32. MIT Press, Cambridge (1995)
Brazier, F., Jonker, C., Treur, J., Wijngaards, N.: Compositional Design of a Generic Design Agent. Design Studies Journal 22, 439–471 (2001)
Briot, J.-P.: Composants logiciels et systèmes multi-agents, Technologies SMA et leur utilisation dans l’industrie. El Fallah-Seghrouchni, A. (ed.) Collection IC2, Hermès/Lavoisier, France (to appear, 2007)
Briot, J.-P., Meurisse, T.: A Component-based Model of Agent Behaviors for Multi-Agent-based Simulations. In: 7th International Workshop on Multi-Agent-Based Simulation (MABS’06), AAMAS’2006, Japan, May, pp. 183–190 (2006)
Brooks, R.A.: A Robust Layered Control System for a Mobile Robot. IEEE Journal of Robotics and Automation 2(1), 14–23 (1986)
Bruneton, E., Coupaye, T., Leclerc, M., Quema, V., Stefani, J.-B.: An Open Component Model and its Support in Java. In: Crnković, I., Stafford, J.A., Schmidt, H.W., Wallnau, K. (eds.) CBSE 2004. LNCS, vol. 3054, pp. 7–22. Springer, Heidelberg (2004)
DeLoach, S.A.: Multiagent Systems Engineering: A Methodology and Language for Designing Agent Systems. In: Agent-Oriented Information Systems (AOIS’99), Seattle, WA, USA, May (1999)
Drogoul, A., Corbara, B., Fresneau, D.: MANTA: Experimental Results on the Emergence of (Artificial) Ant Societies. In: Gilbert, N., Conte, R. (eds.) Artificial Societies: the Computer Simulation of Social Life, UCL Press, London (1995)
Gamma, E., Helm, R., Johnson, R., Vlissides, J.: Design Patterns - Elements of Reusable Object Oriented Software. Professional Computing Series. Addison-Wesley, Reading (1995)
Grondin, G., Bouraqadi, N., Vercouter, L.: MaDcAr: an Abstract Model for Dynamic and Automatic (Re-)Assembling of Component-Based Applications. In: Gorton, I., Heineman, G.T., Crnkovic, I., Schmidt, H.W., Stafford, J.A., Szyperski, C.A., Wallnau, K. (eds.) CBSE 2006. LNCS, vol. 4063, pp. 360–367. Springer, Heidelberg (2006)
Horling, B.: A Reusable Component Architecture for Agent Construction. Technical Report No. 1998-49, Computer Science Dept., UMASS, MA, USA (October1998)
Lawson, B.G., Park, S.: Asynchronous Time Evolution in an Artificial Society Mode. Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation 3(1) (2000)
Meurisse, T., Briot, J.-P.: Une approche à base de composants pour la conception d’agents. Journal Technique et Science Informatiques (TSI) 20(4), 583–602 (2001)
Meurisse, T.: Simulation multi-agent: du modèle à l’opérationnalisation, Thèse de doctorat (PhD thesis), Université Paris 6, Paris, France (July 2004)
Milner, R.: A Calculus for Communicating Systems. Springer, Heidelberg (1982)
Milner, R.: Communicating and Mobile Systems: the Pi-Calculus. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (1999)
Müller, J.P., Pischel, M.: The Agent Architecture InteRRaP: Concept and Application. Technical Report RR-93-26, DFKI, Saarbrucken, Germany (1993)
Müller, J.P.: Control Architectures for Autonomous and Interacting Agents: A Survey. In: Cavedon, L., Wobcke, W., Rao, A. (eds.) Intelligent Agent Systems. LNCS, vol. 1209, pp. 1–26. Springer, Heidelberg (1997)
Ricordel, P.-G., Demazeau, Y.: Volcano, a Vowels-Oriented Multi-Agent Platform. In: Dunin-Keplicz, B., Nawarecki, E. (eds.) CEEMAS 2001. LNCS (LNAI), vol. 2296, pp. 253–262. Springer, Heidelberg (2002)
Moss, S., Davidsson, P. (eds.): MABS 2000. LNCS (LNAI), vol. 1979. Springer, Heidelberg (2001)
Shaw, M., Garlan, D.: Software Architectures: Perspective on an Emerging Discipline. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs (1996)
Shoham, Y.: Agent Oriented Programming. Artificial Intelligence 60(1), 51–92 (1993)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2007 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Briot, JP., Meurisse, T., Peschanski, F. (2007). Architectural Design of Component-Based Agents: A Behavior-Based Approach. In: Bordini, R.H., Dastani, M., Dix, J., Seghrouchni, A.E.F. (eds) Programming Multi-Agent Systems. ProMAS 2006. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 4411. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-71956-4_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-71956-4_5
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-71955-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-71956-4
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)