Collaborative prototyping in distributed virtual reality using an agent communication language

In this paper, we will describe our works on multiagent systems in a distributed virtual reality environment. Our main goal, in the LI2 laboratory, is to make interactive and co-operative prototyping for well defined, existing or not, systems. Users and software agents evolving in our virtual worlds can interact, communicate and modify their behavior. This article will focus on the way our agents communicate in a "natural language" by exchanging information and knowledge. For this purpose we have developed a communication language based on "speech acts theory" and on the Agents Communication Languages (ACL). The Knowledge Query Manipulation Language (KQML) is the ACL we have chosen to develop high level communication among "intelligent agents". To validate our developments and thus the KQML specifications, we have tested them in a contract net application. Contract net applications use communication mechanisms based on offers, bids, contracts and so on, which can be designed by KQML message exchanges.