Keywords: Abstraction, constraint-based reasoning, interval graphs, graph reduction, decomposition, clustering, interchangeability, conflict isolation, temporal reasoning, resource allocation Contact Person: Boi Faltings Phone: (+41 21) 693-2537 E-mail: Boi.Faltings@epfl.ch Partners: AI Group of the University of Geneva homepage: http://liawww.epfl.ch/~choueiry/spp-if-project.html
Abstractions are commonly sought as a powerful means for reducing the computational complexity of problem solving. We claim that, additionally, they are also important for supporting intelligent interactions with the human users as well as negotiations among agents.
The research at EPFL concentrates on elaborating new abstraction techniques for interactive resource allocation. We also propose a global framework for distributed decision making that encompasses components for
- Long-term strategic planning,
- Mid-term scheduling,
- Short-term resource allocation, as well as
- Reactive behavior.
We show that this framework is well-suited for an implementation in terms of multi-agent.