A path planning method based on deep reinforcement learning for crowd evacuation

Deep reinforcement learning (DRL) is suitable for solving complex path-planning problems due to its excellent ability to make continuous decisions in a complex environment. However, the increase in the population size in the crowd evacuation path-planning problem causes a substantial computational burden for the algorithm, which leads to an unsatisfactory efficiency of the current DRL algorithm. This paper presents a path planning method based on DRL for crowd evacuation to solve the problem. First, we divide crowds into groups based on their relationship and distance from each other and select leaders from them. Next, we expand the Multi-Agent Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (MADDPG) to propose an Optimized Multi-Agent Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (OMADDPG) algorithm to obtain the global evacuation path. The OMADDPG algorithm uses the Cross-Entropy Method (CEM) to optimize policy and improve the neural network’s training efficiency by applying the Data Pruning (DP) algorithm. In addition, the social force model is improved, incorporating the relationship between individuals and psychological factors into the model. Finally, this paper combines the improved social force model and the OMADDPG algorithm. The OMADDPG algorithm transmits the path information to the leaders. Pedestrians in the environment are driven by the improved social force model to follow the leaders to complete the evacuation simulation. The method can use a leader to guide pedestrians safely arrive the exit and reduce evacuation time in different environments. The simulation results prove the efficiency of the path planning method.