1 The MRS Functionally, the Micropsi Runtime System is the core of any MicroPsi system. It provides means for communication, simulation control, configuration and logging. Ontologically, the MRS is a set of [component]s, plus some common code. __The MRS situates agents in an environment and provides the software infrastructure for agents and environments.__ Only a few assumptions about agents and the environment are made, so the the MRS should be usable in a wide variety of cases. Key features of the MRS are: - __Flexibility__. The MRS can be used for __one__ agent within a robot or for __multiple agents__ in a complex a-life simulation. - __Distributedness__. Every component of the MRS can be on its own computer. (It doesn't have to, however.) See also: [What the MRS can do for you]. The MRS does __not__ aim to be a competitor to standardized multiagent Java toolkits like {link:JADE|sharon.cselt.it/projects/jade/}. We developed the MRS because we don't primarily consider distributed multi-agent systems an instrument for problem solving. Our focus is on heavy ("cognitively rich") situated agents. The MRS' __relation to the__ [toolkit] is the following: The toolkit uses the MRS. (Hence the MRS is distributed together with the toolkit). But the MRS is not dependent in any way on the toolkit. The following [FMC] block diagram shows the typical architecture of a running MRS as we use it today: \\ {image:AEPArchitectureTopLayer.png} Note that the 3dviewer is ~~not~~ a [component] in the strict terminology defined above. 2005-04-10 16:54:17.971 2003-12-09 21:31:44.856 Thu Jan 29 14:31:08 CET 2004 Thu Jan 29 14:30:34 CET 2004