Abstract
In this paper we address a model of self interested information agents competing to perform tasks. The agents are situated in an uncertain environment while different tasks dynamically arrive from a central manager. The agents differ in their capabilities to perform a task under different world states. Previous models concerning cooperative agents aiming for a joint goal are not applicable in such environments, since self interested agents have a motivation to deviate from the joint allocation strategy, in order to increase their own benefits. Given the allocation protocol set by the central manager, a stable solution, is a set of strategies, derived from an equilibrium where no agent can benefit from changing its strategy given the other agents’ strategies. Specifically we focus on a protocol in which, upon arrival of a new task, the central manager starts a reverse auction among the agents, and the agent who bids the lowest cost wins. We introduce the model, formulate its equations and suggest equilibrium strategies for the agents. By identifying specific characteristics of the equilibria, we manage to suggest an efficient algorithm for enhancing the agents’ calculation of the equilibrium strategies. A comparison with the central allocation mechanism, and the effect of environmental settings on the perceived equilibrium are given using several sample environments.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Altman, E., Hassin, R.: Non-threshold equilibrium for customers joining an m/g/1 queue. In: Proceedings of 10th International Symposium on Dynamic Game and Applications, Saint-Petersburg, Russia (July 2002)
Boutilier, C., Goldszmidt, M., Sabata, B.: Sequential auctions for the allocation of resources with complementarities. In: IJCAI 1999, pp. 527–523 (1999)
Brandt, F., Brauer, W., Weiss, G.: Task assignment in multiagent systems based on vickrey-type auctioning and leveled commitment contracting. In: Klusch, M., Kerschberg, L. (eds.) CIA 2000. LNCS (LNAI), vol. 1860, pp. 95–106. Springer, Heidelberg (2000)
Byde, A., Preist, C., Jennings, N.: Decision procedures for multiple auctions. In: AAMAS 2002 (2002)
Dias, B., Stentz, A.: Traderbots: A market-based approach for resource, role, and task allocation in multirobot coordination, Technical Report CMU-RI -TR- 03-19, Robotics Institute, CMU, PA (2003)
McMillan, J., Rothschild, M.: Search. In: Aumann, R.J., Hart, A.S. (eds.) Handbook of Game Theory with Economic Applications, pp. 905–927 (1994)
Sandholm, T., Lesser, V.: Issues in automated negotiation and electronic commerce: Extending the contract net framework. In: ICMAS 1995, pp. 328–335. MIT Press, Cambridge (1995)
Shehory, O.: Optimal bidding in multiple concurrent auctions. International Journal of Cooperative Information Systems 11(3-4), 315–327 (2002)
Smith, R.G.: The contract net protocol: High-level communication and control in a distributed problem solver. IEEE Transactions on Computers 29(12), 1104–1113 (1980)
Smith, T., Sandholm, T., Simmons, R.: Constructing and clearing combinatorial exchanges using preference elicitation, 2002. In: AAAI workshop on Preferences in AI and CP: Symbolic Approaches (2002)
Walsh, W., Wellman, M.: Efficiency and equilibrium in task allocation economies with hierarchical dependencies. In: IJCAI 1999, pp. 520–526 (1999)
Wellman, M., Walsh, W.: Auction protocols for decentralized scheduling. Games and Economic Behavior 35, 271–303 (2001)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2004 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Sarne, D., Hadad, M., Kraus, S. (2004). Auction Equilibrium Strategies for Task Allocation in Uncertain Environments. In: Klusch, M., Ossowski, S., Kashyap, V., Unland, R. (eds) Cooperative Information Agents VIII. CIA 2004. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 3191. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-30104-2_20
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-30104-2_20
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-23170-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-30104-2
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive