Autonomous and Asynchronous Triggered Agent Exploratory Path-planning Via a Terrain Clutter-index using Reinforcement Learning

Abstract

An intelligent distributed multi-agent system (IDMS) using reinforcement learning (RL) is a challenging and intricate problem in which single or multiple agent(s) aim to achieve their specific goals (sub-goal and final goal), where they move their states in a complex and cluttered environment. The environment provided by the IDMS provides a cumulative optimal reward for each action based on the policy of the learning process. Most actions involve interacting with a given IDMS environment; therefore, it can provide the following elements: a starting agent state, multiple obstacles, agent goals, and a cluttered index. The reward in the environment is also reflected by RL-based agents, in which agents can move randomly or intelligently to reach their respective goals, to improve the agent learning performance. We extend different cases of intelligent multi-agent systems from our previous works: (a) a proposed environment-clutter-based-index for agent sub-goal selection and analysis of its effect, and (b) a newly proposed RL reward scheme based on the environmental clutter-index to identify and analyze the prerequisites and conditions for improving the overall system.