The objective of this book is to address both industry practitioners and academia, providing the vision,
on-going efforts, example applications, assessments, and roadmaps associated with industrial agents
used in multiple industries. Such a book provides an introduction to the “industrial agents” domain
by discussing up-to-date examples of their applications in industry, and it offers a view of future challenges
with an accompanying roadmap.
Part I introduces industrial agents, as well as the benefits, limitations, and applicability of agent
technology, and it considers competing and complementary approaches for designing, deploying, and
assessing industrial agent systems.
Part II discusses related concepts and technologies that are complementary to the implementation of
the agent technology, namely service orientation, integration with low-level controls using IEC6113-3
and IEC 61499 standards, resilience and security, and the requirements for the application of industrial
agents in virtual enterprises and at production automation levels.
Part III provides a catalog of industrial agent-based applications, considering different sectors. Each
chapter describes an existing industrial application or an innovative future application currently being
developed in cutting-edge R&D projects. This catalog is structured around motivation/overview, detailed
application description, benefits, assessment, and conclusion.
Finally, Part IV provides a survey analysis identifying the factors that impact the industrial acceptance
of this paradigm and the market and application domains that better benefit from using agents.
This part finishes with a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis for the
application of agent technology in industrial environments.
