MultiHammer: A Virtual Auction System based on Information Agents

In this paper, we propose a virtual action system based on information agents, We call the system the MultiHammer, MultiHammer can be used for studying and analyzing online actions. MuiltiHammer provides functions of implement-ing a meta online action site and an experiment environ-ment. We have been using MultiHammer as an experiment as an experiment environment for BiddinBot. BiddingBot aims at assisting users to bid simultaneously in multiple online auctions. In order to bid simultaneously in multiple online auctions. In order to analyze the behavior of BiddngBot, we need to pur-chase a lot of items. It is hard for us to prepare a lot of fund to show usability and advantage of BiddingBot. MultiHam-mer enables us to effectively analyze the behavior of BiddingBot. MultiHammer consists of three types of agents for information collecting data storing and auctioning. Agents for information wrappers. To make agent work as wrarp-pers, we heed to realize software modules for each online action site. Implementing these modules reguires a lot of time and patience. To address this problem, we designed a support mechanism for developing the modules. Agents for data storing record the data gathered by agents for informa-tion collecting. Agents for auctioning provide online services using data recorded by agents for data storing. By recording the activities in auction sites. MultiHammer can recreate any situation and trace auction for experimentation, Users can participate in virtual using the same information in real online auctions. Users also participate in real auc-tions via wrapper agents for information collecting