647,826 research outputs found
An introduction to the Cambridge advanced modeller
Complex products and their development processes may be viewed as systems,
whose different aspects can be modelled as networks of interactions between
elements in different domains. Many approaches have been proposed to explore,
support or improve engineering processes by building such models. Developing
these approaches, and applying them to problems of realistic complexity, often
requires specialised computer software suitable for manipulating large data sets.
However, creating suitable tools can be difficult–because software development is
time-consuming and requires skills that many researchers and practitioners do not
possess.
We developed an approach which aims to address this problem by recognising the
iterative nature of modelling research and its often tight coupling with prototype
software development, and by reducing the effort of software prototyping and
revision within this process. The approach is enabled by, and embodied in, the
Cambridge Advanced Modeller (CAM)–a configurable software platform we have
developed, refined and applied over several years and through a number of
research projects
Software Reuse across Robotic Platforms: Limiting the effects of diversity
Robots have diverse capabilities and complex interactions with their environment. Software development for robotic platforms is time consuming due to the complex nature of the tasks to be performed. Such an environment demands sound software engineering practices to produce high quality software. However software engineering in the robotics domain fails to facilitate any significant level of software reuse or portability. This paper identifies the major issues limiting software reuse in the robotics domain. Lack of standardisation, diversity of robotic platforms, and the subtle effects of environmental interaction all contribute to this problem. It is then shown that software components, fuzzy logic, and related techniques can be used together to address this problem. While complete software reuse is not possible, it is demonstrated that significant levels of software reuse can be obtained. Without an acceptable level of reuse or portability, software engineering in the robotics domain will not be able to meet the demands of a rapidly developing field. The work presented in this paper demonstrates a method for supporting software reuse across robotic platforms and hence facilitating improved software engineering practices
Separating Agent-Functioning and Inter-Agent Coordination by Activated Modules: The DECOMAS Architecture
The embedding of self-organizing inter-agent processes in distributed
software applications enables the decentralized coordination system elements,
solely based on concerted, localized interactions. The separation and
encapsulation of the activities that are conceptually related to the
coordination, is a crucial concern for systematic development practices in
order to prepare the reuse and systematic integration of coordination processes
in software systems. Here, we discuss a programming model that is based on the
externalization of processes prescriptions and their embedding in Multi-Agent
Systems (MAS). One fundamental design concern for a corresponding execution
middleware is the minimal-invasive augmentation of the activities that affect
coordination. This design challenge is approached by the activation of agent
modules. Modules are converted to software elements that reason about and
modify their host agent. We discuss and formalize this extension within the
context of a generic coordination architecture and exemplify the proposed
programming model with the decentralized management of (web) service
infrastructures
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