Course contents 2009-2010 (subject to change)

0. Course Presentation

• [slides] Introduction to the course

1. Introduction

• Contents:
  • Origins
  • Agent types
  • Agent Architectures
    • Deliberative Architectures
    • Reactive Architectures
• [slides] Introduction to Multiagent Systems
  
• Recommended readings (about agents):
  • M. Wooldridge "Intelligent Agents".
    Chapter 1 in book "Multiagent Systems" G. Weiss (ed).
  • S. Russel, P. Norvig. "Intelligent Agents"
    Chapter 2 in book "Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach".
  • M.Wooldridge, N. Jennings. "Intelligent Agents: Theory and Practice"
  • M. Luck, P. McBurney, O. Shehory, S. Willmott (eds). "Agent Technology: Computing as Interaction. A Roadmap for Agent Based Computing". Agentlink III consortium.
    
• Recommended readings (about Artificial Intelligence):
  • S. Russel, P. Norvig. "Introduction" (to Artificial Intelligence)
    Chapter 1 in book "Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach".
  • AI Lectures (Dartmouth College.)
    • AI Search Algorithms
    • Machine Learning

2. Knowledge Representation and Communication

• Contents:
  • Knowledge Representation
    • Ontologies: design, methodologies
    • Mark-up Languages (XML, RDF, DAML+OIL)
  • Agent Communication
    • Communication Protocols
    • Communication Languages and Performatives (KQML, FIPA ACL)
• [slides] Part 1: Knowledge Representation
• [slides] Part 2: Agent Communication
  
• Recommended readings:
  • Enrico Franconi. "Introduction to Description Logics course"
    Faculty of Computer Science, Free University of Bolzano, Italy
  • N. F. Noy, D. L. McGuinness. "Ontology Development 101: A Guide to Creating Your First Ontology "
    Stanford University.
  • M. Fernández López. "Overview Of Methodologies For Building Ontologies "
    Laboratorio de Inteligencia Artificial. Facultad de Informática. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
  • M. Hulms, L. Stephens. "Multiagent Systems and Societies of Agents"
    Chapter 2 in book "Multiagent Systems", G. Weiss (ed.).

3. Reasoning in Agents

• Contents:
  • Introduction to Reasoning
  • Deductive Reasoning Agents
  • Practical Reasoning Agents. The BDI model
    
• [slides] Part 1: Introduction to Reasoning. Deductive Reasoning Agents
• [slides] Part 2: Practical Reasoning Agents. BDI Agents
  
• Programming Intelligent Agents:
  • Jadex BDI Agent System
  • Jason
  • 2APL (two-a-p-l) a Practical Agent Programming Language
  • 3APL (triple-a-p-l) An Abstract Agent Programming Language
• Recommended readings:
  • Some AI Lectures (Dartmouth College.)
    • (Classical) AI Planning
  • Wikipedia articles:
    • Modal Logic
    • Kripke semantics
    • Possible worlds and Accesibility relation
    • Epistemic Logic
    • Temporal Logic and Computational Tree Logic
    • Deontic Logic
    • Dynamic Logic
  • P. Blackburn, J. Bos and K. Striegnitz. "Learn Prolog Now".
  • M. Wooldridge. "Modal Logic".
    Extracted from "The Logical Modelling of Computational Multiagent Systems"

4. Multiagent Systems Design

• Contents:
  • Agent-Oriented Software Engineering methodologies.
    • GAIA methodology
    • Prometheus methodology
  • Coordination Models
    • Social Models
      • Reputation and Trust. Social Roles.
      • Electronic Organizations
      • Electronic Institutions
    • Non-social models
      • Explicit Coordination
      • Implicit Coordination
• [slides] Part 1: Agent-Oriented Software Engineering. The GAIA Methodology
• [slides] Part 2: The Prometheus Methodology
• [slides] Part 3: Introduction to Coordination. Trust and Reputation
• [slides] Part 4: Social Models. Electronic Organizations
• [slides] Part 5: Electronic Institutions
• [slides] Part 6: Coordination I. Explicit coordination
• [slides] Part 7: Coordination II. Implicit coordination
• Recommended readings:
  • N. Jennings, M. Wooldridge "Agent-Oriented Software Engineering "
  • [GAIA v.1] M. Wooldridge, N. Jennings, D. Kinny. "The GAIA methodology for Agent-Oriented Analysis and Design"
    Journal of Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems (3) 3, pp. 285-312. Kluwer 2000.
  • [GAIA v.2] F. Zambonelli, M. Wooldridge, N. Jennings. "Developing Multiagent Systems: The Gaia Methodology" ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology, Vol. 12, No. 3, July 2003.
  • L. Padgham, M. Winikoff. "Prometheus: A Pragmatic Methodology for Engineering Intelligent Agents".
  • J. Sabater I Mir. “Trust and reputation for agent societies”
    PhD Thesis, CSIC, 2003.
  • L. Mui, "Computational Models of Trust and Reputation: Agents, Evolutionary Games, and Social Networks”.
    PhD Thesis, Massachusets Institute of Technology, 2002.
  • V. Dignum. "A model for organizational interaction: based on agents, founded in logic".
    PhD Thesis, Universiteit Utrecht, 2003.
  • J. Vázquez Salceda. “The Role of Norms and Electronic Institutions in Multiagent Systems” Birkhauser-Verlag, 2004.
    Original document (PhD Thesis) available on-line [zipped Postcript document]

5. Situated Agents (robots)

• Contents:
  • 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
• [slides] Part 1: Introduction to Robotics. Vision and uncertainty
• [slides] Part 2: Planning and Motion. Multi-robotic systems
• Recommended readings:
  • Some AI Lectures (Dartmouth College.)
    • Introduction to Robotics
    • Vision
  • Motion Control and Robotics (HT Services)
  • Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) Controllers
  • Cognet (MIT Press)
    • Suggestions: search for "Robot Vision", "Robot Motion", etc...

6. Other applications

• Contents:
  • Interacting with humans
    • Adjustable Autonomy
    • User Modelling
  • Simulations
  • Multiagent Sistems for videogames