Blackboard system generator (BSG): an alternative distributed problem-solving paradigm

The authors review the status of a generic blackboard-based distributed problem-solving environment in which multiple agent cooperation can be effected. This environment is organized into a shared information panel, a chairman control panel, and a metaplanning panel. Each panel, in turn, contains a number of embedded AI (artificial-intelligence) techniques that facilitate its operation and that provide heuristics for solving the underlying team-agent decision problem. The status of these panels and heuristics is described along with a number of robustness considerations. The techniques of each of the three panels and of four sets of paradigm-related advances are described, along with selected results from classroom teaching experiments and from three applications using BSG to date