Skip to main content

Operational Semantics for Agents by Iterated Refinement

  • Conference paper
Book cover Declarative Agent Languages and Technologies (DALT 2003)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 2990))

Included in the following conference series:

Abstract

In this paper we evaluate transition systems as a tool for providing a rule-based specification of the operational aspects of autonomous agents. By our technique, different aspects of an agent can be analyzed and designed in a loosely coupled way, enabling the possibility of studying their properties in isolation.

We take as a use case the ParADE framework for building intelligent agents, which leverages a FIPA-like ACL semantics to support semantic interoperability. Our grey-boxing technique is exploited to provide a specification where aspects related to the ACL, the adopted ontology, the agent social role, and the other agent internal details are described separately, in an incremental way.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Glabbeek, R.v.: The linear time – branching time spectrum I. The semantics of concrete, sequential processes. In: [12] ch. 1, pp. 3–100

    Google Scholar 

  2. Viroli, M., Omicini, A.: Specifying agent observable behaviour. In: Castelfranchi, C., Johnson, W.L. (eds.) 1st International Joint Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems (AAMAS 2002), Bologna, Italy, vol. 2, pp. 712–720. ACM, New York (2002)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  3. Rimassa, G., Viroli, M.: An operational framework for the semantics of agent communication languages. In: Petta, P., Tolksdorf, R., Zambonelli, F. (eds.) ESAW 2002. LNCS (LNAI), vol. 2577, pp. 111–125. Springer, Heidelberg (2003)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  4. Viroli, M., Omicini, A.: Modelling agents as observable sources. Journal of Universal Computer Science 8 (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Newell, A.: The knowledge level. Artificial Intelligence 18, 87–127 (1982)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Jennings, N.R.: On agent-based software engineering. Artificial Intelligence 117, 277–296 (2000)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  7. Bergenti, F.: A discussion of two major benefits of using agents in software development. In: Petta, P., Tolksdorf, R., Zambonelli, F. (eds.) ESAW 2002. LNCS (LNAI), vol. 2577, pp. 1–12. Springer, Heidelberg (2003)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  8. Bergenti, F., Poggi, A.: A development toolkit to realize autonomous and interoperable agents. In: Conference on Autonomous Agents, pp. 632–639 (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Hindriks, K.V., de Boer, F.S., van der Hoek, W., Meyer, J.J.C.: Agent programming in 3APL. Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems 2 (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Norling, E., Ritter, F.E.: Embodying the jack agent architecture. In: Stumptner, M., Corbett, D.R., Brooks, M. (eds.) Canadian AI 2001. LNCS (LNAI), vol. 2256, pp. 368–377. Springer, Heidelberg (2001)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  11. Plotkin, G.: A structural approach to operational semantics. Technical Report DAIMI FN-19, Department of Computer Science, AArhus University (1991)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Bergstra, J.A., Ponse, A., Smolka, S.A. (eds.): Handbook of Process Algebra. North-Holland, Amsterdam (2001)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  13. Milner, R.: Communication and Concurrency. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs (1989)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  14. Cohen, P.R., Levesque, H.: Intention is choice with commitment. Artificial Intelligence 42(2-3), 213–361 (1990)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  15. Trân, B., Harland, J., Hamilton, M.: A combined logic of expectation and observation (a generalization of BDI logics). In: Leite, J., Omicini, A., Sterling, L., Torroni, P. (eds.) DALT 2003. LNCS (LNAI), vol. 2990, pp. 155–172. Springer, Heidelberg (2004)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  16. Ancona, D., Mascardi, V.: BCDI: Extending the BDI model with collaborations. In: Leite, J., Omicini, A., Sterling, L., Torroni, P. (eds.) DALT 2003. LNCS (LNAI), vol. 2990, pp. 109–134. Springer, Heidelberg (2004)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  17. FIPA: FIPA communicative act library specification (2000), http://www.fipa.org Doc. XC00037H

  18. Moreira, Á.F., Vieira, R., Bordini, R.H.: Extending the operational semantics of a bdi agent-oriented programming language for introducing speech-act based communication. In: Leite, J., Omicini, A., Sterling, L., Torroni, P. (eds.) DALT 2003. LNCS (LNAI), vol. 2990, pp. 135–154. Springer, Heidelberg (2004)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  19. van Eijk, R.M., de Boer, F.S., van der Hoek, W., Meyer, J.J.C.: Operational semantics for agent communication languages. In: Dignum, F.P.M., Greaves, M. (eds.) Issues in Agent Communication. LNCS, vol. 1916, pp. 80–95. Springer, Heidelberg (2000)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  20. Kinny, D.: Vip: a visual programming language for plan execution systems. In: Castelfranchi, C., Johnson, W.L. (eds.) 1st International Joint Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems (AAMAS 2002), Bologna, Italy, vol. 2, pp. 721–728. ACM, New York (2002)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  21. Jensen, K.: Coloured Petri Nets - Basic Concepts, Analysis Methods and Practical Use. Springer, Berlin (1992)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  22. Ferber, J.: Multi-Agent Systems: An Introduction to Distributed Artifical Intelligence. Addison-Wesley, London (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  23. Clark, K.L., McCabe, F.G.: Go! for multi-threaded deliberative agents. In: Leite, J., Omicini, A., Sterling, L., Torroni, P. (eds.) DALT 2003. LNCS (LNAI), vol. 2990, pp. 54–75. Springer, Heidelberg (2004)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2004 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Bergenti, F., Rimassa, G., Viroli, M. (2004). Operational Semantics for Agents by Iterated Refinement. In: Leite, J., Omicini, A., Sterling, L., Torroni, P. (eds) Declarative Agent Languages and Technologies. DALT 2003. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 2990. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-25932-9_3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-25932-9_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-22124-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-25932-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics