Application of LLM Guided Reinforcement Learning in Formation Control with Collision Avoidance

Shenzhen Technology University
IROS2025

Abstract

Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) excel at accomplishing complex tasks through the collaborative efforts of individual agents. Among the methodologies employed in MAS, Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning (MARL) stands out as one of the most efficacious algorithms. However, when confronted with the complex task of Formation Control with Collision Avoidance (FCCA): designing an effective reward function that facilitates swift convergence of the policy network to an optimal solution. In this paper, we introduce a novel framework aimed at overcoming this challenge. By giving large language models (LLMs) on the prioritization of tasks and the observable information available to each agent, our framework generates reward functions that can be dynamically adjusted online based on evaluation outcomes by employing more advanced evaluation metrics rather than the rewards themselves. This mechanism enables the MAS to concurrently achieve formation control and obstacle avoidance in dynamic environments with enhanced efficiency, requiring fewer iterations to reach superior performance levels. Our empirical studies, conducted both in simulation and real world settings, validate the practicality and effectiveness of our proposed approach.