\input zb-basic
\input zb-ioport
\iteman{io-port 05468587}
\itemau{Dyke Parunak, H.van}
\itemti{An emergent approach to systems of physical agents.}
\itemso{J. Exp. Theor. Artif. Intell. 9, No. 2-3, 211-213 (1997).}
\itemab
Summary: For the past ten years the author has been involved in industrial research on applications of agent architectures to manufacturing, and is presently technical advisor to an industrial consortium that is fielding pilot tests of shop-floor agents. The specific problem addressed by most of their work is the management of material flow and resource utilization on the factory floor. Classically, these problems have been considered under the rubrics of `scheduling' and `shop-floor control', and have been addressed with top-down control that does not offer the robustness and agility required in modern competitive environments. The approach has been to reify parts and equipment as agents, and seek architectures that permit the overall shop schedule to emerge dynamically from their interaction, rather than being imposed top-down.
\itemrv{~}
\itemcc{I.2.9}
\itemut{scheduling; shop-floor control}
\itemli{doi:10.1080/095281397147086}
\end