Distributed Artificial Intelligence and Edge Computing Architectures in Resource-Constrained Environments: A PRISMA-Based Systematic Literature Review on Autonomous UAV Systems

Metin Taşkın

doi:10.30518/jav.1914164

Distributed Artificial Intelligence and Edge Computing Architectures in Resource-Constrained Environments: A PRISMA-Based Systematic Literature Review on Autonomous UAV Systems

Abstract

We report a systematic literature review examining distributed artificial intelligence algorithms and edge computing architectures for autonomous UAV platforms operating under resource and communication constraints, conducted within the PRISMA protocol framework. Existing reviews on UAV systems focus predominantly on physical-layer security and jamming; none provides a unified architectural analysis integrating the CAP Theorem, computational complexity, and hardware-software co-design perspectives. This review addresses that gap by offering a structured design reference for distributed systems researchers working on autonomous UAV platforms. Of 50 candidate studies retrieved from the Web of Science database, 43 were included in full-text analysis following scope and quality assessment. The studies were classified along three axes: (1) distributed AI/ML paradigm (FL, DRL, MARL, CNN, Transformer), (2) system architecture decision (MEC, hierarchical FL, Gossip-based learning), and (3) optimized metric (latency, energy consumption, model size, detection accuracy). FedAvg-based FL and DRL emerge as the leading approaches in distributed swarm learning and online resource allocation, respectively. CAP Theorem analysis shows that the majority of the examined architectures prioritize availability and partition tolerance over consistency, a design decision consistent with adversarial operating conditions. Byzantine-fault tolerant FL and model compression remain under addressed in the reviewed literature. The study concludes with an algorithmic taxonomy and a set of open design problems targeting autonomous UAV platforms in adversarial settings.

Keywords

Ethical Statement

The author of this article declares that the materials and methods used in the study do not require ethics committee approval and/or any legal or institutional permission.

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Machine Learning (Other)

Journal Section

Review

Authors

Metin Taşkın ^*
0009-0005-4950-5194
Türkiye

Early Pub Date

June 24, 2026

Publication Date

June 27, 2026

Submission Date

March 23, 2026

Acceptance Date

May 14, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 10 Number: 2

DOI

https://doi.org/10.30518/jav.1914164

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA32YU39NX

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Taşkın, M. (2026). Distributed Artificial Intelligence and Edge Computing Architectures in Resource-Constrained Environments: A PRISMA-Based Systematic Literature Review on Autonomous UAV Systems. Journal of Aviation, 10(2), 405-412. https://doi.org/10.30518/jav.1914164

AMA

1.Taşkın M. Distributed Artificial Intelligence and Edge Computing Architectures in Resource-Constrained Environments: A PRISMA-Based Systematic Literature Review on Autonomous UAV Systems. JAV. 2026;10(2):405-412. doi:10.30518/jav.1914164

Chicago

Taşkın, Metin. 2026. “Distributed Artificial Intelligence and Edge Computing Architectures in Resource-Constrained Environments: A PRISMA-Based Systematic Literature Review on Autonomous UAV Systems”. Journal of Aviation 10 (2): 405-12. https://doi.org/10.30518/jav.1914164.

EndNote

Taşkın M (June 1, 2026) Distributed Artificial Intelligence and Edge Computing Architectures in Resource-Constrained Environments: A PRISMA-Based Systematic Literature Review on Autonomous UAV Systems. Journal of Aviation 10 2 405–412.

IEEE

[1]M. Taşkın, “Distributed Artificial Intelligence and Edge Computing Architectures in Resource-Constrained Environments: A PRISMA-Based Systematic Literature Review on Autonomous UAV Systems”, JAV, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 405–412, June 2026, doi: 10.30518/jav.1914164.

ISNAD

Taşkın, Metin. “Distributed Artificial Intelligence and Edge Computing Architectures in Resource-Constrained Environments: A PRISMA-Based Systematic Literature Review on Autonomous UAV Systems”. Journal of Aviation 10/2 (June 1, 2026): 405-412. https://doi.org/10.30518/jav.1914164.

JAMA

1.Taşkın M. Distributed Artificial Intelligence and Edge Computing Architectures in Resource-Constrained Environments: A PRISMA-Based Systematic Literature Review on Autonomous UAV Systems. JAV. 2026;10:405–412.

MLA

Taşkın, Metin. “Distributed Artificial Intelligence and Edge Computing Architectures in Resource-Constrained Environments: A PRISMA-Based Systematic Literature Review on Autonomous UAV Systems”. Journal of Aviation, vol. 10, no. 2, June 2026, pp. 405-12, doi:10.30518/jav.1914164.

Vancouver

1.Metin Taşkın. Distributed Artificial Intelligence and Edge Computing Architectures in Resource-Constrained Environments: A PRISMA-Based Systematic Literature Review on Autonomous UAV Systems. JAV. 2026 Jun. 1;10(2):405-12. doi:10.30518/jav.1914164