GAMEOPT: Optimal Real-time Multi-Agent Planning and Control for Dynamic Intersections

TL;DR

GameOpt is a hybrid real-time multi-agent planning approach for dynamic intersections that combines auction-based priority assignment with optimization-based trajectory control, significantly improving traffic flow and safety.

Contribution

It introduces a novel hybrid method that achieves real-time multi-agent intersection control with guarantees on safety, fairness, and efficiency, outperforming existing approaches.

Findings

Increases throughput by at least 25%.

Reduces time to reach goal by 75%.

Cuts fuel consumption by 33%.

Abstract

We propose GameOpt: a novel hybrid approach to cooperative intersection control for dynamic, multi-lane, unsignalized intersections. Safely navigating these complex and accident prone intersections requires simultaneous trajectory planning and negotiation among drivers. GameOpt is a hybrid formulation that first uses an auction mechanism to generate a priority entrance sequence for every agent, followed by an optimization-based trajectory planner that computes velocity controls that satisfy the priority sequence. This coupling operates at real-time speeds of less than 10 milliseconds in high density traffic of more than 10,000 vehicles/hr, 100 times faster than other fully optimization-based methods, while providing guarantees in terms of fairness, safety, and efficiency. Tested on the SUMO simulator, our algorithm improves throughput by at least 25%, time taken to reach the goal by 75%, and fuel consumption by 33% compared to auction-based approaches and signaled approaches using traffic-lights and stop signs.