A Declarative C++ Agent Platform for Agent-based Edge Computing

Software agents and multi-agent systems are pivotal in the development of distributed autonomous systems. While various agent platforms have been proposed, only a selected few are considered state-of-the-art. These agents exhibit a spectrum of intelligence, from reactive behaviours to advanced reasoning and planning. Integrating these capabilities within multi-agent systems enables distributed artificial intelligence, a programming paradigm where autonomous entities collaborate intelligently across a network to achieve common objectives. The advent of 5G technology is reshaping distributed systems, shifting computation towards the network’s edge. This transition has led to a proliferation of embedded devices with microcontrollers, known for low power consumption and not so ample computing resources. In this context, this paradigm aligns seamlessly with small cooperating entities dispersed throughout the network. However, providing agent platforms for embedded devices is challenging. Current state-of-the-art MAS platforms, mostly Java-based, pose concerns about memory and speed overhead for microcontrollers. Addressing these challenges, we introduce DEMOCLE, a multi-agent platform for embedded systems. DEMOCLE enables logic/declarative agent programming directly in C++, utilising object orientation, macros, and recent language features like lambdas. The runtime system is lightweight, incurring minimal overhead in both time and space. This paper offers a comprehensive overview of DEMOCLE, showcasing its features, advantages, and architecture. Additionally, it provides a practical application example.