Building the better bot. Edited by Jesse Freund I've seen a lot of papers on the theoretical aspects of autonomous agents, and a lot of them aren't applicable to anything.
Agents are computational systems that inhabit unpredictable physical and simulated environments.
In any setting, intelligent agents can successfully interpret the hazards and opportunities of their environment and respond with smart decisions. The First International Conference on Autonomous Agents will introduce you to these Phi Beta agents. Meet a NASA-sponsored autonomous spacecraft that uses agent technology to execute maneuvers, perform independent experiments, and adapt to equipment failures. Browse with ShopBot, a University of Washington software agent that comparison shops on the Web while you siesta. Stanford researchers are busy honing tools that allow children to create animated characters for personalized interactive storybooks.