Path Planning in UAV-Assisted Wireless Networks: A Comprehensive Survey and Open Research Issues

UAV-assisted wireless networks are becoming more and more used and are invading many fields thanks to their performance and efficiency. However, there are still some challenges that need to be addressed before this technology can be widely adopted. One of the main issues is UAV path planning. This task is challenging due to various factors such as data collection, energy consumption, limited battery life, and dynamic changes in the environment. Efficient path planning algorithms are crucial to ensuring safe and efficient UAV operations, minimizing collision risks, and maximizing mission success. To give a complete and clear view of recent papers dealing with this crucial trajectory tracing problem, this survey aims to present a collection of work carried out in this line of research, and for ease of convenience, we have classified existing solutions according to the optimization method selected: heuristic, genetic, machine learning and game theory. Our analysis and qualitative comparison of the current literature on UAV path planning, unveil open research challenges in this field. These challenges serve as a roadmap for future research efforts in the deployment of UAV-assisted wireless networks and steer the exploration of innovative solutions.