In this paper, we propose an approach to the design of multi-agent systems based on an original model of the mental activity of single agents. In particular, we introduce the concept of active mental entity, as a new way of representing mental attitudes such as intentions and persuasions. The internal architecture of each agent is thus understood as a distributed system whose reasoning activity is determined by the interactions among active mental entities. Then, this architecture is extended in order to enable the agents to operate in a multi-agent context. A detailed description of the structure and operation of an agent and of a multi-agent system is thus provided. The implementation of the proposed paradigm is then illustrated and some performance examples are presented.
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