This paper introduces CBFKit, a Python/ROS toolbox for safe robotics planning and control under uncertainty. The toolbox provides a general framework for designing control barrier functions for mobility systems within both deterministic and stochastic environments. It can be connected to the ROS open-source robotics middleware, allowing for the setup of multi-robot applications, encoding of environments and maps, and integrations with predictive motion planning algorithms. Additionally, it offers multiple CBF variations and algorithms for robot control. The CBFKit is demonstrated on the Toyota Human Support Robot (HSR) in both simulation and in physical experiments.

We study a sequential decision-making problem for a profit-maximizing operator of an Autonomous Mobility-on-Demand system. Optimizing a central operator's vehicle-to-request dispatching policy requires efficient and effective fleet control strategies. To this end, we employ a multi-agent Soft Actor-Critic algorithm combined with weighted bipartite matching. We propose a novel vehicle-based algorithm architecture and adapt the critic's loss function to appropriately consider global actions. Furthermore, we extend our algorithm to incorporate rebalancing capabilities. Through numerical experiments, we show that our approach outperforms state-of-the-art benchmarks by up to 12.9% for dispatching and up to 38.9% with integrated rebalancing.

In this paper, we propose two communication efficient decentralized optimization algorithms over a general directed multi-agent network. The first algorithm, termed Compressed Push-Pull (CPP), combines the gradient tracking Push-Pull method with communication compression. We show that CPP is applicable to a general class of unbiased compression operators and achieves linear convergence rate for strongly convex and smooth objective functions. The second algorithm is a broadcast-like version of CPP (B-CPP), and it also achieves linear convergence rate under the same conditions on the objective functions. B-CPP can be applied in an asynchronous broadcast setting and further reduce communication costs compared to CPP. Numerical experiments complement the theoretical analysis and confirm the effectiveness of the proposed methods.

Communication plays a vital role for coordination in Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning (MARL) systems. However, misaligned agents can exploit other agents' trust and delegated power to the communication medium. In this paper, we propose power regularization as a method to limit the adverse effects of communication by misaligned agents, specifically communication which impairs the performance of cooperative agents. Power is a measure of the influence one agent's actions have over another agent's policy. By introducing power regularization, we aim to allow designers to control or reduce agents' dependency on communication when appropriate, and make them more resilient to performance deterioration due to misuses of communication. We investigate several environments in which power regularization can be a valuable capability for learning different policies that reduce the effect of power dynamics between agents during communication.

Many technical solutions are bio-inspired. Octopus-inspired robotic arms belong to continuum robots which are used in minimally invasive surgery or for technical system restoration in areas difficult-toaccess. Continuum robot missions are bounded with their motions, whereby the motion of the robots is controlled by humans via wireless communication. In case of a lost connection, robot autonomy is required. Distributed control and distributed decision-making mechanisms based on artificial intelligence approaches can be a promising solution to achieve autonomy of technical systems and to increase their resilience. However these methods are not well investigated yet. Octopuses are the living example of natural distributed intelligence but their learning and decision-making mechanisms are also not fully investigated and understood yet. Our major interest is investigating mechanisms of Distributed Artificial Intelligence as a basis for improving resilience of complex systems. We decided to use a physical continuum robot prototype that is able to perform some basic movements for our research. The idea is to research how a technical system can be empowered to combine movements into sequences of motions by itself. For the experimental investigations a suitable physical prototype has to be selected, its motion control has to be implemented and automated. In this paper, we give an overview combining different fields of research, such as Distributed Artificial Intelligence and continuum robots based on 98 publications. We provide a detailed description of the basic motion control models of continuum robots based on the literature reviewed, discuss different aspects of autonomy and give an overview of physical prototypes of continuum robots.

This paper investigates the increasing roles of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and Electric Vehicles (EVs). While indicating a new era of sustainable energy, these also introduce complex challenges, including the need to balance supply and demand and smooth peak consumptions amidst rising EV adoption rates. Addressing these challenges requires innovative solutions such as Demand Response (DR), energy flexibility management, Renewable Energy Communities (RECs), and more specifically for EVs, Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G). However, existing V2G approaches often fall short in real-world adaptability, global REC optimization with other flexible assets, scalability, and user engagement. To bridge this gap, this paper introduces EnergAIze, a Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning (MARL) energy management framework, leveraging the Multi-Agent Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (MADDPG) algorithm. EnergAIze enables user-centric and multi-objective energy management by allowing each prosumer to select from a range of personal management objectives, thus encouraging engagement. Additionally, it architects' data protection and ownership through decentralized computing, where each prosumer can situate an energy management optimization node directly at their own dwelling. The local node not only manages local energy assets but also fosters REC wide optimization. The efficacy of EnergAIze was evaluated through case studies employing the CityLearn simulation framework. These simulations were instrumental in demonstrating EnergAIze's adeptness at implementing V2G technology within a REC and other energy assets. The results show reduction in peak loads, ramping, carbon emissions, and electricity costs at the REC level while optimizing for individual prosumers objectives.

The advances made by Large Language Models (LLMs) have led to the pursuit of LLM agents that can solve intricate, multi-step reasoning tasks. As with any research pursuit, benchmarking and evaluation are key corner stones to efficient and reliable progress. However, existing benchmarks are often narrow and simply compute overall task success. To face these issues, we propose AgentQuest -- a framework where (i) both benchmarks and metrics are modular and easily extensible through well documented and easy-to-use APIs; (ii) we offer two new evaluation metrics that can reliably track LLM agent progress while solving a task. We exemplify the utility of the metrics on two use cases wherein we identify common failure points and refine the agent architecture to obtain a significant performance increase. Together with the research community, we hope to extend AgentQuest further and therefore we make it available under https://github.com/nec-research/agentquest.

Molecular generation, an essential method for identifying new drug structures, has been supported by advancements in machine learning and computational technology. However, challenges remain in multi-objective generation, model adaptability, and practical application in drug discovery. In this study, we developed a versatile 'plug-in' molecular generation model that incorporates multiple objectives related to target affinity, drug-likeness, and synthesizability, facilitating its application in various drug development contexts. We improved the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) in the context of drug discoveries, and identified PSO-ENP as the optimal variant for multi-objective molecular generation and optimization through comparative experiments. The model also incorporates a novel target-ligand affinity predictor, enhancing the model's utility by supporting three-dimensional information and improving synthetic feasibility. Case studies focused on generating and optimizing drug-like big marine natural products were performed, underscoring PSO-ENP's effectiveness and demonstrating its considerable potential for practical drug discovery applications.

In this paper, we investigate the problem of linear temporal logic (LTL) path planning for multi-agent systems, introducing the new concept of \emph{ordering constraints}. Specifically, we consider a generic objective function that is defined for the path of each individual agent. The primary objective is to find a global plan for the team of agents, ensuring they collectively meet the specified LTL requirements. Simultaneously, we aim to maintain a pre-determined order in the values of the objective function for each agent, which we refer to as the ordering constraints. This new requirement stems from scenarios like security-aware planning, where relative orders outweigh absolute values in importance. We present an efficient algorithm to solve this problem, supported by proofs of correctness that demonstrate the optimality of our solution. Additionally, we provide a case study in security-aware path planning to illustrate the practicality and effectiveness of our proposed approach.

This paper investigates the influence of anthropomorphized descriptions of so-called "AI" (artificial intelligence) systems on people's self-assessment of trust in the system. Building on prior work, we define four categories of anthropomorphization (1. Properties of a cognizer, 2. Agency, 3. Biological metaphors, and 4. Properties of a communicator). We use a survey-based approach (n=954) to investigate whether participants are likely to trust one of two (fictitious) "AI" systems by randomly assigning people to see either an anthropomorphized or a de-anthropomorphized description of the systems. We find that participants are no more likely to trust anthropomorphized over de-anthropmorphized product descriptions overall. The type of product or system in combination with different anthropomorphic categories appears to exert greater influence on trust than anthropomorphizing language alone, and age is the only demographic factor that significantly correlates with people's preference for anthropomorphized or de-anthropomorphized descriptions. When elaborating on their choices, participants highlight factors such as lesser of two evils, lower or higher stakes contexts, and human favoritism as driving motivations when choosing between product A and B, irrespective of whether they saw an anthropomorphized or a de-anthropomorphized description of the product. Our results suggest that "anthropomorphism" in "AI" descriptions is an aggregate concept that may influence different groups differently, and provide nuance to the discussion of whether anthropomorphization leads to higher trust and over-reliance by the general public in systems sold as "AI".