Anytime Multi-Agent Path Finding via Large Neighborhood Search

Anytime Multi-Agent Path Finding via Large Neighborhood Search

Jiaoyang Li, Zhe Chen, Daniel Harabor, Peter J. Stuckey, Sven Koenig

Proceedings of the Thirtieth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence
Main Track. Pages 4127-4135. https://doi.org/10.24963/ijcai.2021/568

Multi-Agent Path Finding (MAPF) is the challenging problem of computing collision-free paths for multiple agents. Algorithms for solving MAPF can be categorized on a spectrum. At one end are (bounded-sub)optimal algorithms that can find high-quality solutions for small problems. At the other end are unbounded-suboptimal algorithms that can solve large problems but usually find low-quality solutions. In this paper, we consider a third approach that combines the best of both worlds: anytime algorithms that quickly find an initial solution using efficient MAPF algorithms from the literature, even for large problems, and that subsequently improve the solution quality to near-optimal as time progresses by replanning subgroups of agents using Large Neighborhood Search. We compare our algorithm MAPF-LNS against a range of existing work and report significant gains in scalability, runtime to the initial solution, and speed of improving the solution.
Keywords:
Planning and Scheduling: Search in Planning and Scheduling
Agent-based and Multi-agent Systems: Multi-agent Planning
Robotics: Motion and Path Planning