UNPACED AND PACED SIMULATION FOR TESTING AGENTS

Agents are autonomous software aimed at working in dynamic environments and thus form a specific type of embedded software systems. To test this type of software simulation systems can be successfully employed. Agents might be modeled, be partly embedded in, or coupled to the virtual environment they are tested in. Depending on the degree of being embedded in the virtual environment, the type of execution that supports an efficient and effective simulation varies. In James (A Java-Based Agent Modeling Environment for Simulation) different simulators have been implemented. Unpaced and paced simulators support interaction in simulationand real-time differently. Moving from unpaced to paced execution, the simulator exercises less control over the experiment and the coupling between simulation and agents to be tested is loosened.

[1]  Joelle Pineau,et al.  Experiences with a mobile robotic guide for the elderly , 2002, AAAI/IAAI.

[2]  Werner Schütz.  On the testability of distributed real-time systems , 1991, [1991] Proceedings Tenth Symposium on Reliable Distributed Systems.

[3]  Martha E. Pollack,et al.  Introducing the Tileworld: Experimentally Evaluating Agent Architectures , 1990, AAAI.

[4]  Martha E. Pollack,et al.  Autominder: an intelligent cognitive orthotic system for people with memory impairment , 2003, Robotics Auton. Syst..

[5]  P. F. Riley,et al.  SPADES - a distributed agent simulation environment with software-in-the-loop execution , 2003, Proceedings of the 2003 Winter Simulation Conference, 2003..

[6]  Martha E. Pollack,et al.  A Plan-Based Personalized Cognitive Orthotic , 2002, AIPS.

[7]  Edmund H. Durfee,et al.  Coordination of distributed problem solvers , 1988 .

[8]  Stephen A. Edwards,et al.  Design of embedded systems: formal models, validation, and synthesis , 1997, Proc. IEEE.

[9]  Joelle Pineau,et al.  Pearl: A Mobile Robotic Assistant for the Elderly , 2002 .

[10]  Adelinde M. Uhrmacher,et al.  The Role Of Reflection In Simulating And Testing Agents: An Exploration Based On The Simulation System James , 2002, Appl. Artif. Intell..

[11]  Anand S. Rao,et al.  A Methodology and Modelling Technique for Systems of BDI Agents , 1996, MAAMAW.

[12]  Paul R. Cohen,et al.  Benchmarks, Test Beds, Controlled Experimentation, and the Design of Agent Architectures , 1993, AI Mag..

[13]  Cécile Péraire,et al.  Test selection for object-oriented software based on formal specifications , 1998, PROCOMET.

[14]  Richard M. Fujimoto,et al.  Repeatability in real-time distributed simulation executions , 2000, Proceedings Fourteenth Workshop on Parallel and Distributed Simulation.

[15]  J. Zalewski.  The testability of distributed real-time systems [Book Reviews] , 1995, IEEE Parallel & Distributed Technology: Systems & Applications.

[16]  David L. Westbrook,et al.  The Phoenix Testbed , 1990 .

[17]  Michael Wooldridge,et al.  Agent-Oriented Software Engineering: The State of the Art , 2009, AOSE.

[18]  Hiroaki Kitano,et al.  The RoboCup Synthetic Agent Challenge 97 , 1997, IJCAI.

[19]  Edmund H. Durfee,et al.  Using MICE to study intelligent dynamic coordination , 1990, [1990] Proceedings of the 2nd International IEEE Conference on Tools for Artificial Intelligence.

[20]  Paul R. Cohen,et al.  Trial by Fire: Understanding the Design Requirements for Agents in Complex Environments , 1989, AI Mag..

[21]  Adelinde M. Uhrmacher,et al.  Distributed, parallel simulation of multiple, deliberative agents , 2000, Proceedings Fourteenth Workshop on Parallel and Distributed Simulation.

[22]  Scott D. Anderson,et al.  Simulation Of Multiple Time-pressured agents , 1997, Winter Simulation Conference Proceedings,.

[23]  Martha E. Pollack,et al.  Autominder: A Planning, Monitoring, and Reminding Assistive Agent , 2002 .

[24]  Michael Wooldridge,et al.  Applications of intelligent agents , 1998 .

[25]  Martha E. Pollack,et al.  Planning in Dynamic Environments: The DIPART System , 1996 .

[26]  B. Schattenberg,et al.  Planning agents in JAMES , 2001, Proc. IEEE.

[27]  Robert G. Sargent,et al.  Validation and verification of simulation models , 1999, Proceedings of the 2004 Winter Simulation Conference, 2004..

[28]  Elaine J. Weyuker,et al.  Testing Component-Based Software: A Cautionary Tale , 1998, IEEE Softw..

[29]  R.M. Fujimoto,et al.  Parallel and distributed simulation systems , 2001, Proceeding of the 2001 Winter Simulation Conference (Cat. No.01CH37304).

[30]  Bernard P. Zeigler,et al.  An Integrated Modeling and Simulation Methodology for Intelligent Systems Design and Testing , 2002 .