We describe the solution used by the Python-DTU team in the Multi-Agent Programming Contest 2011, where the scenario was called Agents on Mars. We present our auction-based agreement algorithm and discuss our chosen strategy and our choice of technology used for implementing the system. Finally, we present an analysis of the results of the competition as well as propose areas of improvement.

Sharing scarce resources is a key challenge in multi-agent interaction, especially when individual agents are uncertain about their future consumption. We present new auction mechanism for preallocating multi-unit among agents, while limiting the chance of resource violations. By planning constraint, we strike balance between worst-case approaches, which under-utilise resources, and expected-ca...

We investigate an auction model where there are many different goods, each good has multiple units and bidders have gross substitutes valuations over the goods. We analyze the number of iterations in iterative auction algorithms for the model based on the theory of discrete convex analysis. By making use of L♮-convexity of the Lyapunov function we derive exact bounds on the number of iterations...

Future agent mediated eCommerce will involve open systems of agents interoperating between different institutions, where different auction protocols may be in use. We argue that in order to achieve this agents will need a method to automatically verify the properties of a previously unseen auction protocol; for example, they may wish to verify that it is fair and robust to deception. We are the...

This paper proposes a mapping between multi-agent pathfinding (MAPF) and combinatorial auctions (CAs). In MAPF, agents need to reach their goal destinations without colliding. Algorithms for solving MAPF aim at assigning agents non-conflicting paths that minimize agents’ travel costs. In CA problems, agents bid over bundles of items they desire. Auction mechanisms aim at finding an allocation o...

The cooperation of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (Multi-UAV) can effectively solve the area coverage problem. However, developing an online multi-UAV approach remains a challenge due to energy constraints and environmental dynamics. In this paper, we design comprehensive framework for with energy-limited UAVs in dynamic environments, which call MCTA (Multi-UAV Coverage through Two-step Auct...

I study e cient multi-unit auction design when bidders have private values, multiunit demands, and non-quasilinear preferences. Without quasilinearity, the Vickrey auction loses its desired incentive and e ciency properties. Instead of assuming that bidders have quasilinear preferences, I assume that bidders have positive wealth effects. This nests cases where bidders are risk averse, face fina...

In this paper, we present a preliminary idea about applying multi-unit combinatorial auctions to an electric power allocation problem when it includes sustainable power sources and it considers guaranteeing stable continuous use of the supplied power. Multi-unit combinatorial auction is a combinatorial auction that has some items that can bee seen as indistinguishable. Theoretically, such mecha...

The good performance of a set of computer systems based on agents depends on the coherence degree and coordination between their activities. The study of coordination problem is an important topic for designers and researchers in the multi-agents systems field. There are several coordination mechanisms in the current literature, being the auction and the contract net the most popular ones. Thes...

In this paper, we present a preliminary idea about applying multi-unit combinatorial auctions to an electric power allocation problem when it includes sustainable power sources and it considers guaranteeing stable continuous use of the supplied power. Multi-unit combinatorial auction is a combinatorial auction that has some items that can bee seen as indistinguishable. Theoretically, such mecha...