The use of hybrid negotiation in resource coordination among agents

In this paper, we present a coordination strategy using a hybrid negotiation mechanism for multi-agent systems. The particular application is distributed resource allocation among agents. Agents adaptively coordinate resource among themselves to handle possible resource shortage crises resulted from dynamic events they encounter in an uncertain environment. The hybrid negotiation mechanism combines cooperative and competitive negotiations. Agents learn and make decisions on when to negotiate, with whom to negotiate, and how to negotiate based on the past negotiation experiences, current activities, and predictions. We have implemented a scalable system for the sustenance resource allocation among agents based on the hybrid negotiation mechanism.