Enhancing BDI Agents Using Fuzzy Logic for CPS and IoT Interoperability Using the JaCa Platform

Abstract

Cyber-physical systems (CPSs) are complex systems interacting with the physical world where instant external changes and uncertain events exist. The Internet of Things is a paradigm that can interoperate with a CPS to increase the CPS’s network and communication capabilities. In the literature, software agents, particularly belief–desire–intention (BDI) agents, are considered options to program these heterogeneous and complex systems in various domains. Moreover, fuzzy logic is a method for handling uncertainties. Therefore, the enhancement of BDI with fuzzy logic can also be employed to improve the abilities, such that autonomy, pro-activity, and reasoning, which are essentials for intelligent systems. These features can be applied in CPSs and IoT interoperable systems. This study extends the CPSs and IoT interoperable systems using fuzzy logic and intelligent agents as symmetric paradigms that equally leverage these domains as well as benefit the agent & artifact approach. In this regard, the main contribution of this study is the integration approach, used to combine the CPS and IoT augmented with fuzzy logic using BDI agents. The study begins with constructing the design primitives from scratch and shows how Jason BDI agents can control the distributed CPS. The study then performs the artifact approach by encapsulating a fuzzy inference system, utilizing time-based reasoning, and benefiting from symmetric fuzzy functions. Lastly, the study applies the self-adaptiveness method and flexibility plan selection, considering the run-time MAPE-K model to tackle run-time uncertainty.