Vacuum Cleaner Agent

This project implements an intelligent agent for a vacuum cleaner simulation in Java. The agent’s task is to clean a room while avoiding obstacles and minimizing movement autonomously. The agent operates in a grid environment where it can perceive dirt, obstacles, and bumps, and performs actions such as moving forward, turning, and cleaning.

How the Agent Works

• Starting Position: The agent begins in the upper-left corner (1,1), always facing north.
• Perception: At each step, the agent perceives its environment, including whether it’s on dirt, an obstacle in front, and if it bumped into an obstacle on the last move.
• Action Selection: The agent uses the percepts to decide its next move, aiming to clean all dirt and avoid obstacles.
• Completion: Once the room is clean, the agent returns to its starting position and shuts off.

Performance Metrics:

The agent is scored based on:

• Moves: Minimizing unnecessary movement,
• Turns: Reducing excessive turning,
• Bumps: Avoiding bumping into obstacles,
• Dirt left: Ensuring all dirt is cleaned before shutting off.

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Features

1. Grid Representation: The environment is represented as a grid, where:

   • X represents walls or obstacles,
   • * represents dirt,
   • The agent (A, >, <, V) represents the vacuum cleaner, with the symbol indicating the agent’s direction.

2. User Interface:

   • A Graphical User Interface (GUI) built with Java Swing to display the grid and agent's movement in real time.
   • A "Next" Button allows users to progress the simulation step by step.
   • The GUI shows the Percept and Action taken by the agent at each step.
   • The final score and performance evaluation are displayed after the agent shuts off.

3. Simulation:

   • The agent starts at position (1,1) facing north and cleans the room efficiently.
   • It cleans in a zig-zag traversal manner to ensure it covers the whole floor.
   • After cleaning, the agent returns to the start and shuts off.
   • The performance of the agent is evaluated based on moves, turns, bumps, and dirt cleaned.

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Setup and Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone git@github.com:melaniefayne/VacuumAgentJava.git
   cd VacuumAgentJava

2. Prerequisites:

   • Java 8+ installed.
   • Java IDE (IntelliJ recommended)

3. Running the Project:

   • Compile the Java files:

      javac -d out src/vacworld/agent/*.java src/vacworld/actions/*.java src/vacworld/*.java

   • Run the simulation:

     java -cp out vacworld.actions.VacuumWorld