# Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Navigation using Reinforcement Learning: A Systematic Review

**Authors:** Fadi AlMahamid, Katarina Grolinger  
**arXiv:** [2208.12328](https://arxiv.org/abs/2208.12328)  
**Date:** 2022-08-25  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/paper/2208.12328v1/

## Key points

- Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly used in various applications
- UAVs need to navigate autonomously without human intervention while performing specific tasks and avoiding obstacles
- Reinforcement Learning (RL) is a popular approach for autonomous UAV navigation
- Fadi AlMahamid and Katarina Grolinger conducted a systematic review of existing literature on Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Navigation using Reinforcement Learning
- The study identifies main UAV navigation tasks, discusses navigation frameworks and simulation software, and classifies RL algorithms based on their environment, characteristics, abilities, and applications in different UAV navigation problems
- The study provides valuable insights into how RL can be effectively used for autonomous UAV navigation by considering various factors such as environmental conditions, algorithmic limitations, task requirements etc.
- The systematic review serves as a comprehensive guide for researchers and practitioners interested in using RL for autonomous UAV navigation.

## Summary

The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, has been increasing in various applications such as package delivery, traffic monitoring, search and rescue operations, and military combat engagements. In all these applications, UAVs are required to navigate the environment autonomously without human intervention while performing specific tasks and avoiding obstacles. Reinforcement Learning (RL) is a popular approach used for autonomous UAV navigation where agents act as experts in a domain to navigate the environment while avoiding obstacles. To address this issue, Fadi AlMahamid and Katarina Grolinger conducted a systematic review of existing literature on Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Navigation using Reinforcement Learning. The study first identifies the main UAV navigation tasks and discusses navigation frameworks and simulation software. Next, RL algorithms are classified based on their environment, characteristics, abilities, and applications in different UAV navigation problems. This classification helps practitioners and researchers select the appropriate RL algorithms for their specific use cases. The authors also highlight identified gaps and opportunities that can drive further research in UAV navigation. The study provides valuable insights into how RL can be effectively used for autonomous UAV navigation by considering various factors such as environmental conditions, algorithmic limitations, task requirements etc. Overall, this systematic review serves as a comprehensive guide for researchers and practitioners interested in using RL for autonomous UAV navigation. It provides a detailed analysis of existing literature on this topic while highlighting areas that require further investigation to advance our understanding of autonomous UAV navigation using reinforcement learning techniques.