Implementing agent teams in dynamic multi-agent environments

Abstract:

Teamwork is becoming increasingly critical in multi-agent environments ranging from virtual environments for training and education, to information integration on the internet, to potential multi-robotic space missions. Teamwork in such complex, dynamic environments is more than a simple union of simultaneous individual activity, even if supplemented with preplanned coordination. Indeed in these dynamic environments, unanticipated events can easily cause a breakdown in such preplanned coordination. The central hypothesis in this article is that for effective teamwork, agents should be provided explicit representation of team goals and plans, as well as an explicit representation of a model of teamwork to support the execution of team plans. In our work, this model of teamwork takes the form of a set of domain independent rules that clearly outline an agent’s commitments and responsibilities as a participant in team activities, and thus guide the agent’s social activities while executing team plans. This article describes two implementations of agent teams based on the above principles, one for a real-world helicopter combat simulation, and one for the RoboCup soccer simulation. The article also provides a preliminary comparison of the two agent-teams to illustrate some of the strengths and weaknesses of RoboCup as a common testbed for multi-agent systems.