Integrating tools and infrastructures for generic multi-agent systems

Abstract

In this paper, we present MadKit/SEdit, an agent infrastructure combined with a generic design tool for multi-agent systems. This toolkit is based on a organizational metaphor to integrate highly heterogeneous agent systems.We explain the principles of MadKit, the underlying agent platform, and show how it can integrate various agent architectures and provides structuration for multiple simultaneous systems and semantics. The architecture, based on a minimal agent runtime, agentified platform services and modular application host, is presented. The SEdit design tool, built itself as a MAS is also discussed. We present its key points in terms of multi-model support, and integration with the infrastructure, from design to maintenance.We illustrate our approach by discussing some consequences of this architecture, and describe our motivation for this design: integration and reuse, organizational patterns, and overall versatility. A summary is given of some key MadKit-based applications to date.