Flexibility and Robustness in Agent Interaction Protocols
Joshua Huthison
RMIT University Function Room (near Kaleide Theatre)
Building 8, level 2, RMIT,
Swanston Street, Melbourne.
Abstract:
With an increase in agent applications has come an increasing need for
agents to be able to interact with each other within open agent systems,
such as the types of systems the Agent-Cities project is developing. These
interactions are usually governed by protocols which dictate legal
messages between agents for the course of that interaction. However,
protocols can be rigid in the order in which messages can be sent, as well
having a lack of robustness where even a small deviation will bring the
protocol session to a premature end.
We have investigated how protocols implemented from the point of
view of plans and goals would allow more flexibility and robustness than a
strict message-order based mechanical protocol. We examine an attempt to
translate a protocol to a set of plans and see if it adds any
flexibility to using the protocol.
More flexible and robust protocols would allow autonomous agents to take
advantage of their intelligence. By identifying problems when they occur
whilst using a protocol they can intelligently resolve them, or even act
proactively to avoid them.
Biosketch:
Joshua Hutchison is an Honours student at RMIT. The paper he is
presenting is a result of work over the summer 2001/2002 and is
related to an ongoing ARC funded project between the RMIT agents group
and AOS