42029 - Multiagent Systems (SMA) [UPC]

The aim of this course is to provide the student with the knowledge to design and program distributed multi-agent systems using intelligent agents. During the course the student is expected to acquire knowledge and abilities on:

• applying several Artificial Intelligence techniques in Agents,
• modeling knowledge in distributed problems,
• designing systems able to distribute decision making and tasks among agents.

The course will also introduce some agent types with special attributes such as agents interacting with humans (personal agents) and agents situated in a physical world (situated agents or robots).

Students following this course are also advised to follow the related course “Learning in Agents and Multiagent Systems”. For those students willing to expand their knowledge in Agent Reasoning, it is also advisable to follow the course “Computational Logic for Artificial Intelligence”.



1. Introduction

• Origins
• Agent types
• Agent Architectures
• Deliberative Architectures
• Reactive Architectures

2. Knowledge Representation and Communication

• Knowledge Representation

• Ontologies: design, methodologies
• Mark-up Languages (XML, RDF, DAML+OIL)

• Agent Communication

• Communication Protocols
• Communication Languages and Performatives (KQML, FIPA ACL)

3. Reasoning in Agents

• Rule-Based Reasoning:

• Planning
• Constraint Satisfaction

• Case-Based Reasoning (CBR)
• Reasoning based on non-classical logics: the BDI model

4. Multiagent Systems Design

• Coordination Models

• Competition and Negotiation

• Competition and strategies
• Negotiation Models. Electronic Auctions

• Colaboration and Distributed Planning

• Teamwork
• Distributed Planning

• Social Models

• Reputation and Trust. Social Roles.
• Electronic Organizations
• Electronic Institutions

• Auto-organizative Coordination

• Coalition Formation
• Swarms

• Agent-Oriented Software Engineering methodologies.

5. Situated Agents (robots)

• Perception Problems
• Problems on action execution
• Situated Agents’ Architectures

• Reactive Architectures
• Deliberative Architectures
• Hybrid Architectures

• Knowledge Representation and Uncertainty
• Planning and Uncertainty
• Multi-Robot Systems

6. Other applications

• Interacting with humans

• Adjustable Autonomy
• User Modelling

• Simulations
• Multiagent Sistems for videogames