Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence

Transcription

1 Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence 1069 Subseries of Lecture Notes in Computer Science Edited by J. G. Carbonell and J. Siekmann Lecture Notes in Computer Science Edited by G. Goos, J. Hartmanis and J. van Leeuwen

2 John W. Perram Jean-Pierre Mtiller (Eds.) Distributed Software Agents and Applications 6th European Worksho p on Modelling Autonomous Agents in a Multi-Agent World, MAAMAW '94 Odense, Denmark, August 3-5, 1994 Proceedings Springer

3 Series Editors Jaime G. Carbonell, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA J6rg Siekmann, University of Saarland, Saarbrticken, Germany Volume Editors John W. Perram Lindo Center forapplied Mathematics, Odense University Forskerparken I0, 5230 Odense M, Denmark Jean-Pierre Mtiller Institute of Computer Science andartificial Intelligence, Neuchfitel University Rue Emile Argand 11, CH-2007 Neuchgtel, Switzerland Cataloging-in-Publication Data applied for Die Deutsche Bibliothek - CIP-Einheitsaufnahme Distributed software agents and applications : proceedings / 6th European Workshop on Modelling Autonomous Agents in a Multi-Agent World, MAAMAW '94, Odense, Denmark, August 3-5, John W. Perram ; Jean-Pierre Mtiller (ed.). - Berlin ; Heidelberg ; New York ; Barcelona ; Budapest ; Hong Kong ; London ; Milan ; Paris ; Santa Clara ; Singapore ; Tokyo 9 Springer, 1996 (Lecture notes in computer science ; Vol : Lecture notes in artificial intelligence) ISBN NE: Perram, John W. [Hrsg.]; European Workshop on Modelling Autonomous Agents in a Multi-Agent World <6, 1994, Odense>; GT CR Subject Classification (1991): 1.2, D.2, C.2.4 ISBN Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, re-use of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the German Copyright Law of September 9, 1965, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained fl'om Springer-Vertag. Violations are liable for prosecution under the German Copyright Law. 9 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1996 Printed in Germany Typesetting: Camera ready by author SPIN I / Printed on acid-free paper

4 Introduction John Perram, Lindr Center for Applied Mathematics, Department of Information Technology, Odense University, Forskerparken I0, Odense, Denmark Jean-Pierre Miiller, Institute of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Neuchs University Neuchs Switzerland The Proceedings of the 6 th European Workshop on Modelling Autonomous Agents in a Multi-Agent World, (MAAMAW'94) differs from its predecessors in that we have included manuscripts from two of the invited speakers. It was originally planned that this MAAMAW should focus on applications of MAS. Indeed many of the papers are concerned with applications. However, we were overtaken by external events, mainly the rapid emergence of World Wide Web as a multi-agent application in its own right. This has qualitatively changed the way we think about agents and in many ways, clarified the relation of agents systems to other areas of software technology. We began to see the emergence of this development during the actual workshop. For this reason, we have decided to call this volume "Distributed Software Agents and Applications". This fact was stressed by Mario Tokoro in his invited talk "Agents: Towards a Society in Which Humans and Computers Cohabitate", reproduced here. WWW is regarded as a massive distributed system of agents (users and their computers) trying to extract some added value from the chaotic mass of information available to them. This immediately tells us that both the Multi-Agent and Distributed Computing communities have much to learn from each other. The other invited manuscript, "ARCHON and its environment" presented at the workshop by Francois Arlabosse, is a textbook example of how Multi-Agent thinking and tools can solve the very complex real world problems of distributed control in industrial systems. For such systems, it is utopian to believe that standard engineering ideas of optimal control will get us anywhere. The system is so complex and unpredictable as to defy modelling in the traditional sense. The third invited talk by Bernado Huberman, stressed the connection between multi-agent systems and physics. The idea that a large collection of simple, interacting agents can exhibit interesting global behaviour has long been the cornerstone of statistical physics. Odense, December 1995

5 VJ Acknowledgements Many people contribute to the production of a successful MAAMAW. First of all, there are the participants and contributors, who ensure that the high standards MAAMAW sets itself are maintained. Secondly, there are the the local people who ensure that everything practical works. Special thanks are due to Maja Stokholm, the LCAM secretary who ensured that the right papers finished in the right places as well as administering the rather complex finances. Thanks are also due to Pernille Garcia de la Vega, who handled registrations and all the problems faced by busy participants who really don't have time to be at the workshop One of the hallmarks of MAAMAW is the attention payed to culinary matters. Thanks are due to Grethe Hansen, the cook at the Odense Science Park for ensuring that the lunches lived up to MAAMAW's standards. No workshop like MAAMAW could possibly be successful if not for its sponsors. The chairs would like particularly to thank Odense Steel Shipyard for arranging a tour of the yard followed by a banquet. Odense Steel Shipyard is one of the most modern yards in the world where information technology of all kinds is used in the automated production of ships. Thanks are also due to the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk for financial support. Finally, we would like to thank Dean Jens Oddershede of the Faculty of NaturM Sciences at Odense University for a variety of practical and economic assistance. Finally, no conference of any quality can succeed without the participation of a conscientious and critical program committee. Only papers living up to the highest standards are accepted for these proceedings and this year's contributions are no exception. The members of the program committee were:- Magnus Boman John Campbell Cristiano Castelfranchi Helder Coelho Yves Demazeau Mauro Di Manzo Jean Erceau Jacques Ferber Francisco Garijo Hans Haugenader George Kiss Brian Mayoh Eugenio Oliveria Jeffrey Rosenschein Walter van der Velde Peter Wavish Wouter Joosen Stockholm London Rome Lisbon Grenoble Genova Chatillon Paris Madrid Munich Milton Keynes Aarhus Porto Jerusalem Brussels Redhill (UK) Leuven

6 Table of Contents Agents: Towards a Society in Which Humans and Computers Cohabitate Mario Tokoro ARCHON and its Environment Francois Arlabosse What Ants Cannot Do Erie Werner Towards a Theory of Cooperative Problem Solving Michael Wooldridge and Nicholas Jennings A Tool for Handling Uncertain Information in Multi-Agent Systems Love Ekenberg, Mats Danielson and Magnus Boman DA-Soc: A Testbed for Modelling Distribution Automation Applications Using Agent-Oriented Programming Staffan Haegg, Fredrik Ygge, Rune Gustavsson and Hans Ottosson APPEAL: A Multi-Agent Approach to Interactive Learning Environments Judith Masthoff and Rudy Van Hoe Language Constructs for Coordination in an Agent Space Stijn Bijnens, Wouter Joosen and Pierre Verbaeten A Distributed Approach to Partial Constraint Satisfaction Problems Khaled Ghedira A Collaboration Strategy for Repetitive Encounters Kei Matsubayashi and Mario Tokoro ASIC: An Architecture for Social and Individual Control and its Application to Computer Vision Olivier Boissier and Yves Demazeau Hierarchical Model and Communication by Signs, Signals and Symbols in Multi-Agent Environments Brahim Chaib-draa and Pascal Levesque Plan Recognition: from Single-Agent to Multi-Agent Plans Rino Falcone and Cristiano CasteIfranchi

7 VIII Distributed Negotiation-Based Task Planning for a Flexible Manufacturing Environment Stefan Hahndel, Florian Fuchs and Paul Levi A Multi-Agent Approach to Dynamic~ Adaptive Scheduling of Material Flow Stefan Bussman Motion Planning for an Articulated Robot: A Multi-Agent Approach Lars Overgaard, Henrik Petersen and John Per'ram