T-Compound Interaction and Listening Agents

This paper proposes a formal model of interaction featuring the recent concept of overhearing in Multi-Agent Systems. This enacts indirect interactions whereby listening agents hear the conversation between two or more other agents that subscribe to this mechanism. We represent overhearing with an interaction composite named the Tcompound, so that it is distinguished from traditional direct interactions. The formal model is based on the π-calculus owing to its intrinsic focus on interactions. We exploit its syntax to build the T-compound, and describe a method for basic design of the interaction dimension in MAS. From this work, we intend to increasingly embody features of interactions such as mobility, scalability, and security to avoid eavesdropping.