(Multi-) Agent Technology

Autonomy and Desire in Machines and Cognitive Agent Systems

by Kevin Magill

Co-authored with Yasemin J. Erden, published 'Online First' in 'Cognitive Computation', 2012, DOI DOI 10.1007/s12559-012-9140-9. Available through subscribing institutions. Drop me a line if you can't access.
Substantially revised from 2011 paper of same title.

The development of cognitive agent systems relies on theories of agency, within which the concept of desire is key.... more The development of cognitive agent systems relies on theories of agency, within which the concept of desire is key. Indeed, in the quest to develop increasingly autonomous cognitive agent systems, desire has had a significant role. We argue, however, that insufficient attention has been given to analysis and clarification of desire as a complex concept. Accordingly, in this paper, we will draw on some key philosophical accounts of the nature of desire, including what distinguishes it from other mental and motivational states, in order to identify some key characteristics of desire as a complex concept. We will then draw on these in order to investigate the role, definition and adequacy of concepts of desire within applied theoretical models of agency and agent systems.

Automated Bidding in Computing Service Markets - Strategies,Architectures, Protocols

by Nikolay Borissov

Phd thesis, Karlsruhe Institut of Technologies

This dissertation contributes to the research on Computational Mechanism Design by providing novel theoretical and... more This dissertation contributes to the research on Computational Mechanism Design by providing novel theoretical and software models - a novel bidding strategy called Q-Strategy, which automates bidding processes in imperfect information markets, a software framework for realizing agents and bidding strategies called BidGenerator and a communication protocol called MX/CS, for expressing and exchanging economic and technical information in a market-based scheduling system.

Content Ordering in the Generation of Persuasive Discourse

by Derek Long

An Inspiration for Solving Grid Resource Management Problem Using Multiple Economic Models

by Aminul Haque

Implementation of Autonomous Pricing Mechanism in Grid Computing

by Aminul Haque

Continuous Double Auction in Grid Computing: An Agent Based Approach to Maximize Profit for Providers

by Aminul Haque

Comparing Negotiation Strategies Based on Offers

by Lena Mashayekhy

Measuring of Strategies' Similarity in Automated Negotiation

by Lena Mashayekhy

An Agent Infrastructure to Set Collaborative Environments

by Ivan Ricarte

Co-authored with Armando Delgado and Carlos José Olguin. Published in Educational Technology and Society, 2000.

Collaborative learning supported through computers seems to be very promising, since advances in computational... more Collaborative learning supported through computers seems to be very promising, since advances in computational technology enable the widespread use of tools such as bulletin boards, chats, whiteboards and even video-conference. However, it is not clear which approach for on-line learning – individual or collaborative – is more effective for the students. This paper addresses a proposal to combine both approaches, taking in account that some advantages related to individual learning, such as self-pacing and
establishment of learning goals by the learner, imply in difficulties to establish collaborative settings. This proposal is based upon the dynamic creation and management of study groups of distributed learners sharing on-line material. A model is proposed to set collaboration profiles that would enable to identify potential collaborators, and an agent-based infrastructure is presented to support this model in an on-line learning environment. Finally, an example of use of this infrastructure is presented using CALM, a learning environment developed on top of the Web architecture.

Engineering of Trustworthy Smart Grids Implementing Service Level Agreements

by Rune Gustavsson

In Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Intelligent System Applications in Power Systems (ISAP 2011), September 25 - 28, Crete, Greece.

In the paper we address issues related to design and implementation of future Smart grids. System uptake and... more In the paper we address issues related to design and implementation of future Smart grids. System uptake and acceptance will to a large extent depend on the perceived trust by different stakeholders of these systems. To support engineering of those kinds of complex systems we propose models based on Interoperability. A key issue is here interoperability of information exchange and sharing. Based on analysis of trust concerns by stakeholders, we propose a model of coordination and monitoring based on Service Level Agrrements (SLAs) between stakeholders.

Agent Applications in Tourism

by Antonio Moreno

Alexandre ViejoUsing JADE-LEAP to implement agents in mobile devices

by Antonio Moreno

Agents and Clinical Guidelines: Filling the Semantic Gap

by Antonio Moreno

Ontology-based Multi-Agent System to support business users and management

by Dejan Lavbič

Published in Technological and economic development of economy (TEDE) journal and co-authored with Olegas Vasilecas and Rok Rupnik.

For some decision processes a significant added value is achieved when enterprises’ internal Data Warehouse (DW) can... more For some decision processes a significant added value is achieved when enterprises’ internal Data Warehouse (DW) can be integrated and combined with external data gained from web sites of competitors and other relevant Web sources. In this paper we discuss the agent-based integration approach using ontologies (DSS-MAS). In this approach data from internal DW and external sources are scanned by coordinated group of agents, while semantically integrated and relevant data is reported to business users according to business rules. After data from internal DW, Web sources and business rules are acquired, agents using these data and rules can infer new knowledge and therefore facilitate decision making process. Knowledge represented in enterprises’ ontologies is acquired from business users without extensive technical knowledge using user friendly user interface based on constraints and predefined templates. The approach presented in the paper was verified using the case study from the domain of mobile communications with the emphasis on supply and demand of mobile phones.

Offering agent-based medical services within the AgentCities project

by Antonio Moreno

Agent-based careflow using CPGs

by Antonio Moreno

IntellWheels: Modular development platform for intelligent wheelchairs

by Marcelo Petry

Intelligent wheelchairs (IWs) can become an important solution to the challenge of assisting individuals who have... more Intelligent wheelchairs (IWs) can become an important solution to the challenge of assisting individuals who have disabilities and are thus unable to perform their daily activities using classic powered wheelchairs. This article describes the concept and design of IntellWheels, a modular platform to facilitate the development of IWs through a multiagent system paradigm. In fact, modularity is achieved not only in the software perspective, but also through a generic hardware framework that was designed to fit, in a straightforward manner, almost any commercial powered wheelchair. Experimental results demonstrate the successful integration of all modules in the platform, providing safe motion to the IW. Furthermore, the results achieved with a prototype running in autonomous mode in simulated and mixed-reality environments also demonstrate the potential of our approach. Although some future research is still necessary to fully accomplish our objectives, preliminary tests have shown that IntellWheels will effectively reduce users’ limitations, offering them a much more independent life.

PalliaSys: Agent-Based Palliative Care

by Antonio Moreno

GRUSMA1: Experience on the deployment of agent-based health care services

by Antonio Moreno

Guest Editor's Introduction: On the Evolution of Applying Agent Technology to Healthcare

by Antonio Moreno

This article is part of a special issue on Intelligent Agents in Healthcare. Agent technology is currently being... more This article is part of a special issue on Intelligent Agents in Healthcare. Agent technology is currently being applied to solve different kinds of problems in the healthcare domain. This special issue presents six articles that discuss different applications, in areas as diverse as automatic e-health service discovery, use of argumentation techniques in organ transplants, and the implementation of agent-based mechanisms that ensure the confidentiality and privacy of sensitive medical data.