Designing a meta-model for a generic robotic agent system using Gaia methodology

• Published in: Information sciences 2012-07, Vol.195, p.190-210
• Main Authors: Silva, Daniel Castro, Braga, Rodrigo A.M., Reis, Luís Paulo, Oliveira, Eugénio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agent-oriented software engineering; Gaia; Multi-robot systems; Open systems meta-model
• ISSN: 0020-0255; 1872-6291
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ins.2012.01.029

The emergence of multi-agent systems in the past years has led to the development of new methodologies to assist in the requirements and architectural analysis, as well as in the design phases of such systems. Consequently, several Agent Oriented Software Engineering (AOSE) methodologies have been proposed. In this paper, we analyze some AOSE methodologies, including Gaia, which supports the architectural design stage, and some proposed extensions. We then use an adapted version of this methodology to design an abstract generic system meta-model for a multi-robot application, which can be used as a basis for the design of these systems, avoiding or shortening repetitive tasks common to most systems. Based on the proposed Generic Robotic Agent Meta-Model (GRAMM), two distinct models for two different applications are derived, demonstrating the versatility and adaptability of the meta-model. By adapting the Gaia methodology to the design of open systems, this work makes the designers’ job faster and easier, decreasing the time needed to complete several tasks, while at the same time maintaining a high-level overview of the system.