In this project, a virtual laboratory (called V-LABâ) for multi-physics distributed modeling and simulation of agents is presented.The elements of V-LAB from bottom to top are computer networks, CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture), DEVS (Discrete Event Systems Specifications),and Soft Computing approaches such as fuzzy logic (approximate reasoning), neurocomputing (learning), evolutionary computations (optimization),SLA - Stochastic learning automaton (statistical learning). The elements of V-LAB will be first presented and then some initial results on the use of SLA in mutli-agentrobotics.  Initial simulation results will be given for a two-agent rover handing a common payload.

The V-Labâ environment consists of 4 distinct software layers, as illustrated in Fig. 1.

  The foundation of the simulation consists of OS and network code needed to operate the network hardware, which in turn allows machines to communicate over a network. Using this functionality of Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA), acts to solve the problem of how to use the network to connect different portions of simulation together. While CORBA provides a useful tool for software interconnection, it does not provide the architecture needed to arrange components of a simulation into discrete structures. Using Discrete Event System Specification (DEVS), V-Labâ defines an appropriate structure in which elements are organized for distributed agent based simulation. IDEVS is an extension of DEVS and is implemented in DEVSJAVA

For further information, contact, Project leader 

Dr. Mo Jamshidi 

Director of Autonomous Control Engineering Center (ACE) Center, 
The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131,
  moj@cybermesa.com or jamshidi@eece.unm.edu