Multi-agent planning using an abductive : event calculus

Abstract

Temporal reasoning within distributed Artificial Intelligence Systems is faced with the problem of concurrent streams of action. Well known, logic-based systems using the SITUATION CALCULUS solve the frame problem in a purely linear manner. Recent research, however, has revealed that the EVENT CALCULUS under the abduction principle is capable of nonlinear planning. In this report, we present a planning service module which incorporates this approach into a constraint logic framework and even allows a notion of strong nonlinearity. The work includes the axiomatisation of appropriate versions of the EVENT CALCULUS, the development of a suitably sound and complete proof procedure that supports abduction and the implementation of both of these layers on the constraint platform OZ. We demonstrate prototypically how this module, EVE, can be integrated into an existing multi-agent architecture and evaluate the behaviour of such agents within an application domain, the loading dock scenario.