The growing sophistication of intelligent agents capable of performing complex tasks, combined with the desire to deploy robotic devices in environments where the presence of human administration is either undesirable or impossible has led to the evolution of JBISoft's concept of Autonomous Distributed Networks (ADN).
An Autonomous Distributed Network (ADN) is an open system that is dynamic in both structure and content. An ADN must have the ability to organize itself, not only at it's formation, but continuously thereafter as the environment and the internal structure of the network changes. It can also change over time as individual nodes cease operation, are lost, or are replaced.
Autonomous Nodes (AN) are at the core of an ADN. They are devices that contain an embedded Mission Core with the necessary attributes to carry out the Mission.
Conceptually, an Autonomous Node consists of:
1) The Physical Layer (PL) that contains the hardware sensors and communications,
2) an Autonomous Distributed Network Interface (ADNI) which is the shell that surrounds the Mission Core and interacts with it via APIs, interacts with the Physical Layer, and handles negotiations with other ANs in the network, and
3) The Mission Core (MC) that contains the specific code and business logic for the specific application of an ADN.
The ADN evolves from the formation of Local Node Clusters that may develop into Aggregate Node Clusters and finally into a complete ADN. The ADNI provides the capability of the ANs to perform hierarchical network formation via the Network Negotiation Protocol (NNP).
The NNP provides the communication mechanisms to determine the state of the network, the ability to assign management and tasking roles, message routing, and control of the operational mode of the network.
By creating a hierarchical formation of the Autonomous Distributed Network and the introduction of an intelligent Interface combined with a Mission Core that is tailored to the specific ADN requirements, JBISoft, Inc. has created an architecture for networks that can define themselves without human intervention. The possibilities for such a network are endless.