FOUNDATION FOR INTELLIGENT PHYSICAL AGENTS

 

 

  Michael Berger and Michael Watzke, Siemens AG

  {Michael.Berger@mchp.siemens.de, Michael.Watzke}@mchp.siemens.de

 

 

Problem Statement: Ad-hoc networks, based on communication facilities like Infrared, Bluetooth and Wwireless LAN, as well as using technologies like Jini and UPnP, enable new applications in the area of local range networks. Mobile devices, such as mobile phones and Ppocket-PCs,, equipped with that technology, make the communication of two devices or the establishing of an ad-hoc group with more than two devices possible.

 

Once working in that ad-hoc and short-range area, probably a device has no wide-range connection (e.g. there is no coverage at the moment or a user does not want to establish such a connection because of the cost). In that context, the agents on two mobile devices, originally created on different platforms, have to discover each other and to build an ad-hoc compound[1] to allowing them each other to communicate with each other. A compound can be based on:

 

·         either two different complete agent platforms (one agent platform on each device) merging into one, or

·         two fragments[2] of different agent platforms, or,

·         one fragment joining a different complete platform.

 

These three cases are also applicable if there are more than two devices involved in building an ad-hoc compound. Compounds also have also to be robust enough to survive the leaving of devices. A further problem is, when having a device with no wide-range network connection, the application or user should also be able to generate and delete agents on that device.

 

Current FIPA does not support such environments and functionalitiesy’s.

 

Objective: There are three main objectives of this work-plan:

·         Definition of possible agent platform fragments, which can be connected dynamically to a compound

·         Definition of mechanisms and protocols for agent platform fragments to build,  and release, join and leave compounds

·         Usagee of existing approaches in the ad-hoc and P2P world are which provide support on different levels

 

 

Technology: The approaches will be based on developments in the area of ad-hoc and short- range wireless networkstechnologies such as Bluetooth, IrDA, Wireless LAN, Jini, UPnP            and P2P.

 

 

Specifications generated: There will be either a new specification which will take all existing specifications into account, which define FIPA2000 compliancespecification that will take all existing specifications into account, which define FIPA2000 compliance orthere will be changes to some or all the existing specifications listed below.

 

 

Plan for Work and Milestones: The plan is for a 12 month program of work and includes the following steps:

 

·           2001/07         Discuss work plan, finish work plan, open call for contributions

·           2001/09         Deadline for contributions

·           2001/10         Presentation and first discussion of contributions

·           2002/01         Discussion of contributions

·           2002/02         First draft of preliminary specification

·           2002/04         Review of preliminary specification

·           2002/07         Review of preliminary specification, define specification as experimental

 

Future Work:

 

Dependencies:

·          [FIPA00001] FIPA Abstract Architecture Specification

·         [FIPA00023]

·         FIPA Abstract Architecture Specification

·         FIPA Nomadic Application Support Specification

·         FIPA Agent Communication and Content Languages Specifications

·         FIPA Agent Security Management Specification

·         FIPA Agent Management and Configuration Specifications

·         FIPA Agent Message Transport Specifications

 

Additional References:

·         Bluetooth

·         IrDA

·         Wireless LAN

·         Jini

·         UPpnP

·         P2P

·         JadePNP[3]  (Steffen Rusitschka: Using Plug&Play technologies by agent systems, diploma thesis in German, University of Marburg, Germany, January 2001)

 

Support:

·         Fabio Bellifeimine (TI Labs)

·         Bernhard Burg (HP Labs)

·         Patricia Charlton (Motorola)

·         Heimo Laamanen (Sonera)

·         Heikki Helin (Sonera)

·         Jamie Lawrence (Broadcom)

·         John Shepherdson (British Telecommunications)

·         Steven Willmott (EPFL)