Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning-Based Computation Offloading for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Post-Disaster Rescue

Natural disasters cause significant losses. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are valuable in rescue missions but need to offload tasks to edge servers due to their limited computing power and battery life. This study proposes a task offloading decision algorithm called the multi-agent deep determinis...

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Main Authors: Lixing Wang, Huirong Jiao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Sensors
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/24/24/8014
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author Lixing Wang
Huirong Jiao
author_facet Lixing Wang
Huirong Jiao
author_sort Lixing Wang
collection DOAJ
description Natural disasters cause significant losses. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are valuable in rescue missions but need to offload tasks to edge servers due to their limited computing power and battery life. This study proposes a task offloading decision algorithm called the multi-agent deep deterministic policy gradient with cooperation and experience replay (CER-MADDPG), which is based on multi-agent reinforcement learning for UAV computation offloading. CER-MADDPG emphasizes collaboration between UAVs and uses historical UAV experiences to classify and obtain optimal strategies. It enables collaboration among edge devices through the design of the ’critic’ network. Additionally, by defining good and bad experiences for UAVs, experiences are classified into two separate buffers, allowing UAVs to learn from them, seek benefits, avoid harm, and reduce system overhead. The performance of CER-MADDPG was verified through simulations in two aspects. First, the influence of key hyperparameters on performance was examined, and the optimal values were determined. Second, CER-MADDPG was compared with other baseline algorithms. The results show that compared with MADDPG and stochastic game-based resource allocation with prioritized experience replay, CER-MADDPG achieves the lowest system overhead and superior stability and scalability.
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spelling doaj-art-eaeaeeb171cc45a88a0268ddbf6083e12025-08-20T02:43:21ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202024-12-012424801410.3390/s24248014Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning-Based Computation Offloading for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Post-Disaster RescueLixing Wang0Huirong Jiao1School of Computer Science and Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110000, ChinaSchool of Computer Science and Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110000, ChinaNatural disasters cause significant losses. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are valuable in rescue missions but need to offload tasks to edge servers due to their limited computing power and battery life. This study proposes a task offloading decision algorithm called the multi-agent deep deterministic policy gradient with cooperation and experience replay (CER-MADDPG), which is based on multi-agent reinforcement learning for UAV computation offloading. CER-MADDPG emphasizes collaboration between UAVs and uses historical UAV experiences to classify and obtain optimal strategies. It enables collaboration among edge devices through the design of the ’critic’ network. Additionally, by defining good and bad experiences for UAVs, experiences are classified into two separate buffers, allowing UAVs to learn from them, seek benefits, avoid harm, and reduce system overhead. The performance of CER-MADDPG was verified through simulations in two aspects. First, the influence of key hyperparameters on performance was examined, and the optimal values were determined. Second, CER-MADDPG was compared with other baseline algorithms. The results show that compared with MADDPG and stochastic game-based resource allocation with prioritized experience replay, CER-MADDPG achieves the lowest system overhead and superior stability and scalability.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/24/24/8014mobile edge computingcomputation offloadingunmanned aerial vehiclepost-disaster rescuemulti-agent reinforcement learning
spellingShingle Lixing Wang
Huirong Jiao
Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning-Based Computation Offloading for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Post-Disaster Rescue
Sensors
mobile edge computing
computation offloading
unmanned aerial vehicle
post-disaster rescue
multi-agent reinforcement learning
title Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning-Based Computation Offloading for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Post-Disaster Rescue
title_full Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning-Based Computation Offloading for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Post-Disaster Rescue
title_fullStr Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning-Based Computation Offloading for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Post-Disaster Rescue
title_full_unstemmed Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning-Based Computation Offloading for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Post-Disaster Rescue
title_short Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning-Based Computation Offloading for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Post-Disaster Rescue
title_sort multi agent reinforcement learning based computation offloading for unmanned aerial vehicle post disaster rescue
topic mobile edge computing
computation offloading
unmanned aerial vehicle
post-disaster rescue
multi-agent reinforcement learning
url https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/24/24/8014
work_keys_str_mv AT lixingwang multiagentreinforcementlearningbasedcomputationoffloadingforunmannedaerialvehiclepostdisasterrescue
AT huirongjiao multiagentreinforcementlearningbasedcomputationoffloadingforunmannedaerialvehiclepostdisasterrescue