A Hierarchical Mixed Multi-Agent System

Abstract

This paper presents some ideas and concept to address the current trend in robotics, where the working environment often comprises of a colony of mixed agents, both humans and robots working together. This is referred to as a mixed multi-agent (mMA) scenario. This scenario is highly analogous to many applications, where work efficiency is improved by taking advantage of the best capabilities of both the humans and robots. A hierarchical mixed multi-agent framework is proposed to address this scenario. The hierarchical framework differs from the research work on multi-agent robotics in that it considers a mixture of agents involving both humans and robots working together in an environment under the supervision of a single human supervisor.