Agent, method and computer system for negotiating in a virtual environment
First Claim
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1. An agent adapted for negotiating in a virtual environment, the agent comprising:
- an agent descriptor implemented as an executable program and comprising a set of properties which determine the negotiating characteristics of the agent; and
an agent body implemented as an executable program and comprising at least one sensor for receiving information from the virtual environment, at least one actuator for interacting with the environment, and a decision engine operable in an active state during a predetermined time period to execute a decision making process based on the information received from the at least one sensor wherein the decision engine is operable to establish a relation with another agent in dependence on the negotiating characteristics and to determine a value representing the quality of the established relation.
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Abstract
A multi-agent system is described that uses software agents to represent objects in a chosen real world environment. Each agent has structure having certain characteristics where a relation with other agents can be established if the other agents have characteristics that are suitable to the requesting agent. The multi-agent system is able to perform dynamic negotiations autonomously between agents so as to establish relations when a new event enters the system or to offer compensation to modify existing relations and to self-organise to optimise the overall value of the system.
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Citations
32 Claims
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1. An agent adapted for negotiating in a virtual environment, the agent comprising:
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an agent descriptor implemented as an executable program and comprising a set of properties which determine the negotiating characteristics of the agent; and
an agent body implemented as an executable program and comprising at least one sensor for receiving information from the virtual environment, at least one actuator for interacting with the environment, and a decision engine operable in an active state during a predetermined time period to execute a decision making process based on the information received from the at least one sensor wherein the decision engine is operable to establish a relation with another agent in dependence on the negotiating characteristics and to determine a value representing the quality of the established relation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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16. A method of simulating a real environment by creating a virtual environment comprising a plurality of agents, the method comprising:
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for at least some of said agents, invoking an active state of the agent for a predetermined time period;
for each active agent, implementing a decision making process based on information received from at least one sensor according to negotiating characteristics of the agent to determine whether a relation can be established with another agent; and
after said predetermined time period invoking a passive state of the agents, wherein said agents have a free or paired status and wherein paired agents hold a value determining the quality of the relation they have established.
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17. A method of operating a computer to implement an agent adapted for negotiating in a virtual environment, the method comprising:
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executing a first program defining an agent descriptor comprising a set of properties which determine the negotiating capability of the agent;
setting up an agent body by providing at least one sensor for receiving information from the virtual environment and at least one actuator for interacting with the environment; and
executing a second program to implement a decision engine associated with said at least one sensor, said decision engine being operable in an active state during a predetermined time period to execute a decision making process based on the information received from the at least one sensor according to the negotiating characteristics of the agent wherein the decision engine is operable to establish a relation with another agent in dependence on the negotiating characteristics and to determine a value representing the quality of the established relation. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method of operating a computer system to manage demands and resources, the method comprising:
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generating a scene representing the current state of resources and demands;
instantiating a plurality of agents as executable programs, including a first set of resource agents representing resources and a second set of demand agents representing demands, wherein each agent is operable to exchange messages with another agent and comprises a decision engine for executing a decision making process based on information from the scene and messages from said other agent to implement a relation with said other agent and to associate a relation value with said relation; and
comparing that relation value with a reference value for the relation to determine whether the relation is satisfactory or not.
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26. A computer system configured as a virtual world representing a real world, the system comprising:
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a first set of demand agents implemented as executable programs, each comprising a set of properties representing demands in the real world;
a second set of resource agents implemented as executable programs, each comprising a set of properties representing resources in the real world;
wherein the demand agents and the resource agents are operable to negotiate by exchanging messages, said messages containing said sets of properties corresponding to the demands and resources of each agent so that a decision engine can establish a relation based on predefined criteria; and
wherein when a new demand or resource enters the system, an agent representing the new demand or resource is able to disturb an established relation between a pair of agents by offering compensation to improve a value representing the quality of the established relation.
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32. A computer system comprising a processor for executing a plurality of programs, each program represents an agent for negotiating in a virtual environment and a memory which stores a plurality of agent definers, each agent definer having an ontology comprising:
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a set of properties defining the nature of the agent;
a set of attributes defining characteristics used for negotiating purposes by the agent;
a set of scenarios executable by the agent to implement different decision making processes; and
a relation quality store for holding a value defining the quality of a relation established by the agent.
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Specification