Hierarchical Multi-agent Reinforcement Learning for Warehouse Robot Coordination under Communication Loss

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a hierarchical multi-agent reinforcement learning framework for coordinating robot teams in warehouse environments under communication loss. We partition the robot team into groups, with centralized coordination within each group and distributed coordination across groups. Each group uses a recurrent predictor to estimate unavailable interaction information due to communication loss. A higher-level policy then generates a compact coordination reference that conditions the local control policy within each group. A predictive safety filter evaluates and modifies the proposed controls when they violate safety constraints. Simulation results show improved task completion under communication loss, reduced communication growth as the team size increases, and safe operation in the tested scenarios.