ABSTRACT
Th is chapter presents the design of task administration protocols (TAPs) for eff ective task allocation in distributed systems composed of human and robot e-Workers. Digital human models in such modeled environments must be able to operate under this type of protocol. Two e-Work logic models and tools are employed to model the activities and interactions of human and robot e-Workers: multiagent systems and protocols. Protocols are designed to represent the rules of interactions for eff ective task allocation among agents. Coordination protocols have been developed for task allocation by
managing some dependencies between tasks. As a result, it generates a dynamic alliance of agents, such as a task dependence network composed of task agents and resource agents, to complete the given tasks. In dynamic, distributed task environments, it is not feasible to devise a universal coordination protocol that performs eff ectively under all circumstances. Coordination protocols, however, address usually limited types of dependence. Furthermore, there are many complex situations requiring decisions beyond just coordination in real task environments. As a control mechanism, TAPs are designed to handle dependencies including coordination solutions. Th e suitable TAPs also manages variable dependencies.
