Wei Liu^1,*, Ruiyang Wang¹, Guangwei Liu²

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.86, No.2, pp. 1-23, 2026, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2025.070328 - 09 December 2025

Abstract Q-learning is a classical reinforcement learning method with broad applicability. It can respond effectively to environmental changes and provide flexible strategies, making it suitable for solving robot path-planning problems. However, Q-learning faces challenges in search and update efficiency. To address these issues, we propose an improved Q-learning (IQL) algorithm. We use an enhanced Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithm to optimize Q-table initialization. We also introduce the UCH mechanism to refine the reward function and overcome the exploration dilemma. The IQL algorithm is extensively tested in three grid environments of different scales. The results validate the… More >

Zhenpeng Jiang, Qingquan Liu^*, Ende Wang

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.86, No.1, pp. 1-18, 2026, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2025.068780 - 10 November 2025

Abstract Rapidly-exploring Random Tree (RRT) and its variants have become foundational in path-planning research, yet in complex three-dimensional off-road environments their uniform blind sampling and limited safety guarantees lead to slow convergence and force an unfavorable trade-off between path quality and traversal safety. To address these challenges, we introduce HS-APF-RRT*, a novel algorithm that fuses layered sampling, an enhanced Artificial Potential Field (APF), and a dynamic neighborhood-expansion mechanism. First, the workspace is hierarchically partitioned into macro, meso, and micro sampling layers, progressively biasing random samples toward safer, lower-energy regions. Second, we augment the traditional APF by More >

Huiru Cao¹, Shaoxin Li², Xiaomin Li^3,*, Yongxin Liu⁴

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.83, No.3, pp. 5575-5593, 2025, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2025.061954 - 19 May 2025

Abstract Efficient flight path design for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in urban environmental event monitoring remains a critical challenge, particularly in prioritizing high-risk zones within complex urban landscapes. Current UAV path planning methodologies often inadequately account for environmental risk factors and exhibit limitations in balancing global and local optimization efficiency. To address these gaps, this study proposes a hybrid path planning framework integrating an improved Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithm with an Orthogonal Jump Point Search (OJPS) algorithm. Firstly, a two-dimensional grid model is constructed to simulate urban environments, with key monitoring nodes selected based on… More >

Guojun Chen^*, Danguo Cheng, Wei Chen, Xue Yang, Tiezheng Guo

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.78, No.3, pp. 3721-3741, 2024, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2024.047325 - 26 March 2024

Abstract With the increase in ocean exploration activities and underwater development, the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) has been widely used as a type of underwater automation equipment in the detection of underwater environments. However, nowadays AUVs generally have drawbacks such as weak endurance, low intelligence, and poor detection ability. The research and implementation of path-planning methods are the premise of AUVs to achieve actual tasks. To improve the underwater operation ability of the AUV, this paper studies the typical problems of path-planning for the ant colony algorithm and the artificial potential field algorithm. In response to… More >