PRESENTAZIONE

I Sistemi MultiAgenti (MAS) sono emersi come una delle più importanti aree di ricerca e sviluppo nel campo della tecnologia dell'informazione. Un MAS è composto da più componenti software interagenti (agenti) in grado di cooperare per risolvere problemi che vanno oltre le capacità di ogni singolo membro.

Questo insegnamento introdurrà gli studenti alla nozione di agente e li porterà a capire cos'è un agente, come possono essere costruiti, come gli agenti possono cooperare efficacemente.

OBIETTIVI E CONTENUTI

OBIETTIVI FORMATIVI

Getting acquainted with the concept of an agent and multiagent system, and learning how to design intelligent autonomous agents and how to deal with the main implementation issues.

OBIETTIVI FORMATIVI (DETTAGLIO) E RISULTATI DI APPRENDIMENTO

Upon completing this course, a student will:
-- understand the notion of an agent, how agents are distinct from other software paradigms (e.g., objects), and understand the characteristics of applications that lend themselves to an agent-oriented solution;
-- understand the key issues associated with constructing agents capable of intelligent autonomous action, and the main approaches taken to developing such agents;
-- understand the key issues and approaches to high-level communication in multiagent systems;
-- obtain a good command on programming languages for implementing cognitive agents, based on symbolic, declarative approaches
-- understand the main application areas of agent-based solutions.

Students interested in (and deemed suitable to, based on the outcomes on an initial quiz) attending the course in an innovative modality and in improving their soft skills, will also get the following transversal skills:
-- personal skills, basic level
-- social skills, basic level
-- creative design, advanced level

PREREQUISITI

The student should know the basics of First Order Logic and of Java programming

MODALITA' DIDATTICHE

Frontal lessons (24 hours) and laboratories (8 hours).
One individual project on a topic proposed by the teacher must be developed at the end of the course.

For students involved in the innovative teaching activities, the following teaching modalities will be employed:
- world café
- creative individual project (the specification of the project is invented by students and is validated by teachers)

PROGRAMMA/CONTENUTO

Introduction to agents and MASs
-- What is an agent, what is a MAS
-- History of agents and MASs
-- Agent-oriented software engineering

Communication as action
-- Foundations of the speech acts theory
-- Issues in communication
            
Agent-oriented programming (AOP):
-- Logic programming as the foundation of cognitive agents programming             
-- Jason
            
Agent-based modeling and simulation
-- NetLogo

MAS infrastructures         
-- JADE (or PADE, JadeScript, or the like)

Distributed AI: some among the following classical issues, also based on the students preferences
-- Uninformed search
-- Informed search
-- Planning
-- Games

-- Planning

TESTI/BIBLIOGRAFIA

The scientific papers at the state of the art, the slides and the further teaching material provided during the course are enough for following it.

DOCENTI E COMMISSIONI

Commissione d'esame

VIVIANA MASCARDI (Presidente)

FILIPPO RICCA

ARNAUD HENRI PAUL SANGNIER (Presidente Supplente)

LEZIONI

INIZIO LEZIONI

In accordance with the academic calendar of the Computer Science degree

Orari delle lezioni

L'orario di questo insegnamento è consultabile all'indirizzo: Portale EasyAcademy

ESAMI

MODALITA' D'ESAME

The exam will consist in a quiz with closed questions, a written part (traditional open questions, exercises) plus an individual project (requiring about 1 man/week to be completed) whose outcomes must be presented in oral form. The written part can be accessed only if the quiz has been passed.

The teachers can complement the parts above with an oral exam.

MODALITA' DI ACCERTAMENTO

The acquisition of the skills foreseen by this course are assessed via the quiz + written exam + the project which have been carefully designed to allow the teacher to verify whether a student is actually able to:
-- understand the notion of an agent, how agents are distinct from other software paradigms (e.g., objects), and understand the characteristics of applications that lend themselves to an agent-oriented solution (quiz and written part)
-- understand the key issues associated with constructing agents capable of intelligent autonomous action, and the main approaches taken to developing such agents (quiz, written part, individual project)
-- understand the key issues and approaches to high-level communication in multiagent systems (quiz and written part);
-- obtain a good command on programming languages for implementing cognitive agents, based on symbolic, declarative approaches (quiz, written part, individual project)
-- understand the main application areas of agent-based solutions (quiz, written part, individual project).