Resolving Conflicting Constraints in Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning with Layered Safety

Fuente: arXiv
Salvato in:
Dettagli Bibliografici
Autori principali: Choi, Jason J., Aloor, Jasmine Jerry, Li, Jingqi, Mendoza, Maria G., Balakrishnan, Hamsa, Tomlin, Claire J.
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
Soggetti:
Accesso online:
Tags: Aggiungi Tag
Nessun Tag, puoi essere il primo ad aggiungerne!!
_version_ 1866918156556042240
author Choi, Jason J.
Aloor, Jasmine Jerry
Li, Jingqi
Mendoza, Maria G.
Balakrishnan, Hamsa
Tomlin, Claire J.
author_facet Choi, Jason J.
Aloor, Jasmine Jerry
Li, Jingqi
Mendoza, Maria G.
Balakrishnan, Hamsa
Tomlin, Claire J.
contents Preventing collisions in multi-robot navigation is crucial for deployment. This requirement hinders the use of learning-based approaches, such as multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL), on their own due to their lack of safety guarantees. Traditional control methods, such as reachability and control barrier functions, can provide rigorous safety guarantees when interactions are limited only to a small number of robots. However, conflicts between the constraints faced by different agents pose a challenge to safe multi-agent coordination. To overcome this challenge, we propose a method that integrates multiple layers of safety by combining MARL with safety filters. First, MARL is used to learn strategies that minimize multiple agent interactions, where multiple indicates more than two. Particularly, we focus on interactions likely to result in conflicting constraints within the engagement distance. Next, for agents that enter the engagement distance, we prioritize pairs requiring the most urgent corrective actions. Finally, a dedicated safety filter provides tactical corrective actions to resolve these conflicts. Crucially, the design decisions for all layers of this framework are grounded in reachability analysis and a control barrier-value function-based filtering mechanism. We validate our Layered Safe MARL framework in 1) hardware experiments using Crazyflie drones and 2) high-density advanced aerial mobility (AAM) operation scenarios, where agents navigate to designated waypoints while avoiding collisions. The results show that our method significantly reduces conflict while maintaining safety without sacrificing much efficiency (i.e., shorter travel time and distance) compared to baselines that do not incorporate layered safety. The project website is available at https://dinamo-mit.github.io/Layered-Safe-MARL/
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_02293
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Resolving Conflicting Constraints in Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning with Layered Safety
Choi, Jason J.
Aloor, Jasmine Jerry
Li, Jingqi
Mendoza, Maria G.
Balakrishnan, Hamsa
Tomlin, Claire J.
Robotics
Multiagent Systems
Systems and Control
Preventing collisions in multi-robot navigation is crucial for deployment. This requirement hinders the use of learning-based approaches, such as multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL), on their own due to their lack of safety guarantees. Traditional control methods, such as reachability and control barrier functions, can provide rigorous safety guarantees when interactions are limited only to a small number of robots. However, conflicts between the constraints faced by different agents pose a challenge to safe multi-agent coordination. To overcome this challenge, we propose a method that integrates multiple layers of safety by combining MARL with safety filters. First, MARL is used to learn strategies that minimize multiple agent interactions, where multiple indicates more than two. Particularly, we focus on interactions likely to result in conflicting constraints within the engagement distance. Next, for agents that enter the engagement distance, we prioritize pairs requiring the most urgent corrective actions. Finally, a dedicated safety filter provides tactical corrective actions to resolve these conflicts. Crucially, the design decisions for all layers of this framework are grounded in reachability analysis and a control barrier-value function-based filtering mechanism. We validate our Layered Safe MARL framework in 1) hardware experiments using Crazyflie drones and 2) high-density advanced aerial mobility (AAM) operation scenarios, where agents navigate to designated waypoints while avoiding collisions. The results show that our method significantly reduces conflict while maintaining safety without sacrificing much efficiency (i.e., shorter travel time and distance) compared to baselines that do not incorporate layered safety. The project website is available at https://dinamo-mit.github.io/Layered-Safe-MARL/
title Resolving Conflicting Constraints in Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning with Layered Safety
topic Robotics
Multiagent Systems
Systems and Control
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.02293