It starts by discussing software engineering issues for the development of multi-agent systems, how much it costs to build a multi-agent system, and which methods and tools are currently available. Next chapters present some of the most relevant aspects that are considered for the development of multi-agent systems: ubiquitous computing, learning and planning, trust and security, electronic institutions and swarm intelligence. Last chapters focus on concrete applications of physical agents and e-tourism applications, to illustrate how to integrate the previously discussed aspects.
The book is written by researchers with experience in technology transfer, and therefore it is oriented to practice.