Flexibility measurement model of multi-agent systems

Abstract

Flexibility is considered as one of the key objectives of agent-based technology. Despite this, we still lack a fundamental understanding of just what “flexibility in multi-agent system (MAS)” really is. Two main questions must be asked. First, how do agents and MAS achieve a high degree of flexibility? Second, what makes one agent or one MAS more flexible than others agents or others MASs? This paper addresses the answer to these two questions by proposing an ontology of the flexibility property and a mathematical measurement model for this property. The proposed ontology gives a comprehensive view of the flexibility by decomposing it on several characteristics and presents several techniques for implementing each characteristic. In addition, it relates these characteristics to MAS components. The proposed model presents a set of metrics for measuring the different characteristics of the flexibility property. The proposed metrics have been applied to JADE applications using a tool developed for this purpose.

Security of Multi-Agent Cyber-Physical Systems: A Survey

“…The term "agent" here denotes anything that perceives its environment and takes actions autonomously without direct or continuous supervision from any centralized control. The use of multiple agents (rather than a single, centralized entity) induces additional flexibility resulting from the possibility for different agents to perceive different aspects of the environment and make independent judgments while facilitating coordination and knowledge sharing [1]- [3]. Furthermore, using multiple agents induces redundancy and heterogeneity that fosters robustness against failure of individual components [4].…”