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HMCF: a human-in-the-loop multi-robot collaboration framework based on large Language models

HMCF: a human-in-the-loop multi-robot collaboration framework based on large Language models
HMCF: a human-in-the-loop multi-robot collaboration framework based on large Language models

Rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have enabled robots to perform complex tasks autonomously with increasing precision. However, multi-robot systems (MRSs) face challenges in generalization, heterogeneity, and safety, especially when scaling to large-scale deployments like disaster response. Traditional approaches often lack generalization, requiring extensive engineering for new tasks and scenarios, and struggle with managing diverse robots. To overcome these limitations, we propose a Human-in-the-loop Multi-Robot Collaboration Framework (HMCF) powered by large language models (LLMs). LLMs enhance adaptability by reasoning over diverse tasks and robot capabilities, while human oversight ensures safety and reliability, intervening only when necessary. Our framework seamlessly integrates human oversight, LLM agents, and heterogeneous robots to optimize task allocation and execution. Each robot is equipped with an LLM agent capable of understanding its capabilities, converting tasks into executable instructions, and reducing hallucinations through task verification and human supervision. Simulation results show that our framework outperforms state-of-the-art task planning methods, achieving higher task success rates with an improvement of 4.76%. Real-world tests demonstrate its robust zero-shot generalization feature and ability to handle diverse tasks and environments with minimal human intervention.

Heterogeneous Robot, Human-in-the-loop, Large Language Models, Multi-Agent Collaboration
0302-9743
150-167
Springer Cham
Li, Zhaoxing
65935c45-a640-496c-98b8-43bed39e1850
Wang, Yue
423162db-b8dd-4e5e-b3f2-7a0fcc418836
Wu, Wenbo
73411935-a317-475b-a056-3f8a93e4f18e
Xu, Yanran
a207a90b-b6ae-424a-8f7b-646512b168ac
Stein, Sebastian
cb2325e7-5e63-475e-8a69-9db2dfbdb00b
Dima, Catalin
Ferrando, Angelo
Malvone, Vadim
Li, Zhaoxing
65935c45-a640-496c-98b8-43bed39e1850
Wang, Yue
423162db-b8dd-4e5e-b3f2-7a0fcc418836
Wu, Wenbo
73411935-a317-475b-a056-3f8a93e4f18e
Xu, Yanran
a207a90b-b6ae-424a-8f7b-646512b168ac
Stein, Sebastian
cb2325e7-5e63-475e-8a69-9db2dfbdb00b
Dima, Catalin
Ferrando, Angelo
Malvone, Vadim

Li, Zhaoxing, Wang, Yue, Wu, Wenbo, Xu, Yanran and Stein, Sebastian (2025) HMCF: a human-in-the-loop multi-robot collaboration framework based on large Language models. Dima, Catalin, Ferrando, Angelo and Malvone, Vadim (eds.) In PRIMA 2025: Principles and Practice of Multi-Agent Systems - 26th International Conference, Proceedings. vol. 16366 LNAI, Springer Cham. pp. 150-167 . (doi:10.1007/978-3-032-13562-9_12).

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)

Abstract

Rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have enabled robots to perform complex tasks autonomously with increasing precision. However, multi-robot systems (MRSs) face challenges in generalization, heterogeneity, and safety, especially when scaling to large-scale deployments like disaster response. Traditional approaches often lack generalization, requiring extensive engineering for new tasks and scenarios, and struggle with managing diverse robots. To overcome these limitations, we propose a Human-in-the-loop Multi-Robot Collaboration Framework (HMCF) powered by large language models (LLMs). LLMs enhance adaptability by reasoning over diverse tasks and robot capabilities, while human oversight ensures safety and reliability, intervening only when necessary. Our framework seamlessly integrates human oversight, LLM agents, and heterogeneous robots to optimize task allocation and execution. Each robot is equipped with an LLM agent capable of understanding its capabilities, converting tasks into executable instructions, and reducing hallucinations through task verification and human supervision. Simulation results show that our framework outperforms state-of-the-art task planning methods, achieving higher task success rates with an improvement of 4.76%. Real-world tests demonstrate its robust zero-shot generalization feature and ability to handle diverse tasks and environments with minimal human intervention.

Text
HMCF - Accepted Manuscript
Restricted to Repository staff only until 15 December 2026.
Available under License Other.
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More information

e-pub ahead of print date: 15 December 2025
Venue - Dates: PRIMA 2025: Principles and Practice of Multi-Agent Systems: 26th International Conference, , Modena, Italy, 2025-12-16 - 2025-12-19
Keywords: Heterogeneous Robot, Human-in-the-loop, Large Language Models, Multi-Agent Collaboration

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 506798
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/506798
ISSN: 0302-9743
PURE UUID: fa30c257-bcdf-4876-ad73-12335937cf82
ORCID for Zhaoxing Li: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-3560-3461
ORCID for Yue Wang: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-2384-4639
ORCID for Wenbo Wu: ORCID iD orcid.org/0009-0002-3937-0124
ORCID for Sebastian Stein: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-2858-8857

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 18 Nov 2025 17:57
Last modified: 12 Mar 2026 03:10

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Contributors

Author: Zhaoxing Li ORCID iD
Author: Yue Wang ORCID iD
Author: Wenbo Wu ORCID iD
Author: Yanran Xu
Author: Sebastian Stein ORCID iD
Editor: Catalin Dima
Editor: Angelo Ferrando
Editor: Vadim Malvone

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