Results 1 - 10
of
203
Methods for Task Allocation Via Agent Coalition Formation
, 1998
"... Task execution in multi-agent environments may require cooperation among agents. Given a set of agents and a set of tasks which they have to satisfy, we consider situations where each task should be attached to a group of agents that will perform the task. Task allocation to groups of agents is nece ..."
Abstract
-
Cited by 364 (21 self)
- Add to MetaCart
Task execution in multi-agent environments may require cooperation among agents. Given a set of agents and a set of tasks which they have to satisfy, we consider situations where each task should be attached to a group of agents that will perform the task. Task allocation to groups of agents is necessary when tasks cannot be performed by a single agent. However it may also be beneficial when groups perform more efficiently with respect to the single agents' performance. In this paper we present several solutions to the problem of task allocation among autonomous agents, and suggest that the agents form coalitions in order to perform tasks or improve the efficiency of their performance. We present efficient distributed algorithms with low ratio bounds and with low computational complexities. These properties are proven theoretically and supported by simulations and an implementation in an agent system. Our methods are based on both the algorithmic aspects of combinatorics and approximat...
Coalition Structure Generation with Worst Case Guarantees
, 1999
"... Coalition formation is a key topic in multiagent systems. One may prefer a coalition structure that maximizes the sum of the values of the coalitions, but often the number of coalition structures is too large to allow exhaustive search for the optimal one. Furthermore, finding the optimal coalition ..."
Abstract
-
Cited by 270 (9 self)
- Add to MetaCart
(Show Context)
Coalition formation is a key topic in multiagent systems. One may prefer a coalition structure that maximizes the sum of the values of the coalitions, but often the number of coalition structures is too large to allow exhaustive search for the optimal one. Furthermore, finding the optimal coalition structure is NP-complete. But then, can the coalition structure found via a partial search be guaranteed to be within a bound from optimum? We show that none of the previous coalition structure generation algorithms can establish any bound because they search fewer nodes than a threshold that we show necessary for establishing a bound. We present an algorithm that establishes a tight bound within this minimal amount of search, and show that any other algorithm would have to search strictly more. The fraction of nodes needed to be searched approaches zero as the number of agents grows. If additional time remains, our anytime algorithm searches further, and establishes a progressively lower tight bound. Surprisingly, just searching one more node drops the bound in half. As desired, our algorithm lowers the bound rapidly early on, and exhibits diminishing returns to computation. It also significantly outperforms its obvious contenders. Finally, we show how to distribute the desired
Distributed Rational Decision Making
, 1999
"... Introduction Automated negotiation systems with self-interested agents are becoming increasingly important. One reason for this is the technology push of a growing standardized communication infrastructure---Internet, WWW, NII, EDI, KQML, FIPA, Concordia, Voyager, Odyssey, Telescript, Java, etc---o ..."
Abstract
-
Cited by 191 (0 self)
- Add to MetaCart
Introduction Automated negotiation systems with self-interested agents are becoming increasingly important. One reason for this is the technology push of a growing standardized communication infrastructure---Internet, WWW, NII, EDI, KQML, FIPA, Concordia, Voyager, Odyssey, Telescript, Java, etc---over which separately designed agents belonging to different organizations can interact in an open environment in realtime and safely carry out transactions. The second reason is strong application pull for computer support for negotiation at the operative decision making level. For example, we are witnessing the advent of small transaction electronic commerce on the Internet for purchasing goods, information, and communication bandwidth [29]. There is also an industrial trend toward virtual enterprises: dynamic alliances of small, agile enterprises which together can take advantage of economies of scale when available (e.g., respond to mor
Iterative Combinatorial Auctions: Achieving Economic and Computational Efficiency
- DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
, 2001
"... This thesis presents new auction-based mechanisms to coordinate systems of selfinterested and autonomous agents, and new methods to design such mechanisms and prove their optimality... ..."
Abstract
-
Cited by 159 (19 self)
- Add to MetaCart
This thesis presents new auction-based mechanisms to coordinate systems of selfinterested and autonomous agents, and new methods to design such mechanisms and prove their optimality...
An introduction to collective intelligence
- Handbook of Agent technology. AAAI
, 1999
"... ..."
(Show Context)
Using Similarity Criteria to Make Issue Trade-Offs in Automated Negotiations
- Artificial Intelligence
, 2002
"... Automated negotiation is a key form of interaction in systems that are composed of multiple autonomous agents. The aim of such interactions is to reach agreements through an iterative process of making offers. The content of such proposals are, however, a function of the strategy of the agents. Here ..."
Abstract
-
Cited by 137 (11 self)
- Add to MetaCart
(Show Context)
Automated negotiation is a key form of interaction in systems that are composed of multiple autonomous agents. The aim of such interactions is to reach agreements through an iterative process of making offers. The content of such proposals are, however, a function of the strategy of the agents. Here we present a strategy called the trade-off strategy where multiple negotiation decision variables are traded-off against one another (e.g., paying a higher price in order to obtain an earlier delivery date or waiting longer in order to obtain a higher quality service). Such a strategy is commonly known to increase the social welfare of agents. Yet, to date, most computational work in this area has ignored the issue of trade-offs, instead aiming to increase social welfare through mechanism design. The aim of this paper is to develop a heuristic computational model of the trade-off strategy and show that it can lead to an increased social welfare of the system. A novel linear algorithm is presented that enables software agents to make trade-offs for multi-dimensional goods for the problem of distributed resource allocation.
A Survey of Multi-Agent Organizational Paradigms
- The Knowledge Engineering Review
, 2005
"... Many researchers have demonstrated that the organizational design employed by a system can have a significant, quantitative effect on its performance characteristics. A range of organizational strategies have emerged from this line of research, each with different strengths and weaknesses. In this a ..."
Abstract
-
Cited by 103 (2 self)
- Add to MetaCart
(Show Context)
Many researchers have demonstrated that the organizational design employed by a system can have a significant, quantitative effect on its performance characteristics. A range of organizational strategies have emerged from this line of research, each with different strengths and weaknesses. In this article we present a survey of the major organizational paradigms used in multi-agent systems. These include hierarchies, holarchies, coalitions, teams, congregations, societies, federations, and matrix organizations. We will provide a description of each, discuss their costs and benefits, and provide examples of how they may be instantiated and maintained. 1
Cooperative Multiagent Systems: A Personal View of the State of the Art
- IEEE Transactions on Knowledge and Data Engineering
, 1999
"... Scientific research and practice in multiagent systems focuses on constructing computational frameworks, principles, and models for how both small and large societies of intelligent, semiautonomous agents can interact effectively to achieve their goals. This article provides a personal view of the ..."
Abstract
-
Cited by 85 (0 self)
- Add to MetaCart
(Show Context)
Scientific research and practice in multiagent systems focuses on constructing computational frameworks, principles, and models for how both small and large societies of intelligent, semiautonomous agents can interact effectively to achieve their goals. This article provides a personal view of the key application areas for cooperative multiagent systems, the major intellectual problems in building such systems, the underlying principles governing their design, and the major directions and challenges for future developments in this field. Index Terms---Multiagent systems, coordination, cooperation, distributed problem solving, distributed artificial intelligence, computational organizations. ------------------------------ ###p### ------------------------------ 1INTRODUCTION ULTIAGENT systems are computational systems in which two or more agents interact or work together to perform some set of tasks or to satisfy some set of goals. These systems may be comprised of homogeneous o...
Reflections on the Nature of Multi-Agent Coordination and Its Implications for an Agent Architecture
- Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems
, 1998
"... The development of enabling infrastructure for the next generation of multi-agent systems consisting of large numbers of agents and operating in open environments is one of the key challenges for the multi-agent community. Current infrastructure support does not materially assist in the development ..."
Abstract
-
Cited by 80 (16 self)
- Add to MetaCart
(Show Context)
The development of enabling infrastructure for the next generation of multi-agent systems consisting of large numbers of agents and operating in open environments is one of the key challenges for the multi-agent community. Current infrastructure support does not materially assist in the development of sophisticated agent coordination strategies. It is the need for and the development of such a high-level support structure that will be the focus of this paper. A domain-independent (generic) agent architecture is proposed that wraps around an agent’s problem-solving component in order to make problem-solving responsive to real-time constraints, available network resources and the need to coordinate — both in the large and small, with problem-solving activities of other agents. This architecture contains five components, local agent scheduling, multi-agent coordination, organizational design, detection and diagnosis and on-line learning, that are designed to interact so that a range of different situation-specific coordination strategies can be implemented and adapted as the situation evolves. The presentation of this architecture is followed by a more detailed discussion on the interaction among these components and the
