Test-Driven Agent-Oriented Software Development

Lack of awareness about the potentials of agent technology, as well as concerns regarding stability, scalability, and survivability especially in unpredictable environments of attacks and system failures are identified as major reasons for missing trust in the idea of delegating tasks to autonomous agents. Therefore, one of the key research issues is how the quality of Multi-Agent Systems can be assured, while at the same time reducing the development efforts to enhance the acceptance of agent technology in the industry. In order to ensure the industrial relevance, we focus on development of methods and techniques for the evaluation and tests of agent-based control applications. Our research covers the development of demonstration framework, including pilot implementations in industrial-like settings.