A Framework for Supporting Autonomous Agents in Ubiquitous Computing Environments

Handheld computers allow user mobility in pervasive environments and give users access to computing resources regardless of their location. These devices however, often operate disconnected from the network thus reducing the opportunities for spontaneous interoperation with other users or devices. Autonomous agents can enable spontaneous interaction by representing users, as well as services. These agents act on behalf of users while they are disconnected, or represent services available in the environment. We present the SALSA framework, which allows developers to implement autonomous agents for ubicomp systems.