We introduce Biter, a platform for the teaching and research of multiagent systems’ design. Biter implements a client for the RoboCup simulator. It provides users with the basic functionality needed to start designing sophisticated RoboCup teams. Some of its features include a world model with absolute coordinates, a graphical debugging tool, a set of utility functions, and a Generic Agent Architecture (GAA) with some basic behaviors such as “dribble ball to goal” and “dash to ball”. The GAA incorporates an elegant object-oriented design meant to handle the type of activities typical for an agent in a multiagent system. These activities include reactive responses, long-term behaviors, and conversations with other agents. We also discuss our initial experiences using Biter as a pedagogical tool for teaching multiagent systems’ design.
Paul A. Buhler, José M. Vidal