Flexible problem-solving roles for autonomous agents

Agent-based technologies can be applied to many aspects of manufacturing. The need for responsive, flexible agents is pervasive in manufacturing environments due to the complex, dynamic nature of manufacturing problems. One critical aspect of agent flexibility is the ability to adapt decision-making interactions to various situations during system operation. This issue is addressed by research on Sensible Agents, capable of Dynamic Adaptive Autonomy. In Sensible Agent-based systems, agent problem-solving roles describe the decision-making interaction styles adopted by agents. An agent's level of autonomy arises from the problem-solving role it has adopted. These levels of autonomy are defined along a spectrum ranging from command-driven, to consensus, to locally autonomous/master. Dynamic Adaptive Autonomy allows Sensible Agents to change problem-solving roles during system operation to meet the needs of a particular problem-solving situation. The foundation of Dynamic Adaptive Autonomy is the specification of these problem-solving roles. This article focuses primarily on defining four representational constructs (planning-responsibility, authority-over, commitment, and independence) that specify agent problem-solving roles.