# MECoBench: A Systematic Study of Multimodal Agent Collaboration in Embodied Environments

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.31966 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.31966/

## Key facts

- Cited by 3 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in Embodied and 3D vision-language models, one of 16 directions in Multimodal LLMs / vision-language models.
- Builds on 28 of its 54 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 30 Jun 2026.

## Placed in

- Multimodal LLMs / vision-language models / [Embodied and 3D vision-language models](https://mlsanity.com/mllm/embodied-and-3d-vision-language-models/)
- LLM agents and tool use / [Multimodal and embodied agents](https://mlsanity.com/agents/multimodal-and-embodied-agents/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 28 of 28)

- [Efficient Memory Management for Large Language Model Serving with PagedAttention](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.06180/) (2023)
- [Habitat: A Platform for Embodied AI Research](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1904.01201/) (2019)
- [ALFRED: A Benchmark for Interpreting Grounded Instructions for Everyday Tasks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1912.01734/) (2019)
- [GLM-4.5V and GLM-4.1V-Thinking: Towards Versatile Multimodal Reasoning with Scalable Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.01006/) (2025)
- [Agent Laboratory: Using LLM Agents as Research Assistants](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.04227/) (2025)
- [VirtualHome: Simulating Household Activities via Programs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1806.07011/) (2018)
- [On the Utility of Learning about Humans for Human-AI Coordination](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1910.05789/) (2019)
- [EmbodiedGPT: Vision-Language Pre-Training via Embodied Chain of Thought](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.15021/) (2023)
- [EmbodiedBench: Comprehensive Benchmarking Multi-modal Large Language Models for Vision-Driven Embodied Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.09560/) (2025)
- [MultiAgentBench: Evaluating the Collaboration and Competition of LLM agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.01935/) (2025)
- [VLABench: A Large-Scale Benchmark for Language-Conditioned Robotics Manipulation with Long-Horizon Reasoning Tasks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.18194/) (2024)
- [Watch-And-Help: A Challenge for Social Perception and Human-AI Collaboration](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.09890/) (2020)
- [VisualAgentBench: Towards Large Multimodal Models as Visual Foundation Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.06327/) (2024)
- [AI Hospital: Benchmarking Large Language Models in a Multi-agent Medical Interaction Simulator](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.09742/) (2024)
- [Large Language Models as Generalizable Policies for Embodied Tasks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.17722/) (2023)
- [PARTNR: A Benchmark for Planning and Reasoning in Embodied Multi-agent Tasks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.00081/) (2024)
- [Many Heads Are Better Than One: Improved Scientific Idea Generation by A LLM-Based Multi-Agent System](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.09403/) (2024)
- [Embodied Multi-Modal Agent trained by an LLM from a Parallel TextWorld](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.16714/) (2023)
- [A Cordial Sync: Going Beyond Marginal Policies for Multi-Agent Embodied Tasks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2007.04979/) (2020)
- [From Multimodal LLMs to Generalist Embodied Agents: Methods and Lessons](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.08442/) (2024)
- [Collab-Overcooked: Benchmarking and Evaluating Large Language Models as Collaborative Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.20073/) (2025)
- [VillagerAgent: A Graph-Based Multi-Agent Framework for Coordinating Complex Task Dependencies in Minecraft](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.05720/) (2024)
- [CODESIM: Multi-Agent Code Generation and Problem Solving through Simulation-Driven Planning and Debugging](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.05664/) (2025)
- [Collaborating Action by Action: A Multi-agent LLM Framework for Embodied Reasoning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.17950/) (2025)
- [TeamCraft: A Benchmark for Multi-Modal Multi-Agent Systems in Minecraft](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.05255/) (2024)
- [AirCopBench: A Benchmark for Multi-drone Collaborative Embodied Perception and Reasoning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.11025/) (2025)
- [MineLand: Simulating Large-Scale Multi-Agent Interactions with Limited Multimodal Senses and Physical Needs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.19267/) (2024)
- [SoMi-ToM: Evaluating Multi-Perspective Theory of Mind in Embodied Social Interactions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.23046/) (2025)

## Built on by (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [Beyond Corrected Memory: Execution Consistency in Multi-Agent Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2610.08101/) (2026)
- [Towards Embodied Air-Ground Cooperative Object Search: Benchmark, Dataset and Agentic Method](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.08402/) (2026)
- [CoCoBench: A Cooperative Coordination Benchmark for Embodied Multi-Agent Task Planning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.28266/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Recent multimodal large language models (MLLMs) have strong potential as embodied agents, but their ability to collaborate in visually grounded environments remains underexplored. To address this gap, we introduce MECoBench, a multimodal embodied cooperation benchmark with an evaluation platform spanning diverse real-world tasks, two cooperation structures, and three collaboration modes. Through extensive experiments across various MLLMs, we summarize three key findings: (i) Collaboration generally improves embodied task completion, but its benefits depend on balancing collaborative gains against coordination complexity. (ii) Communication is essential to collaboration gains, while the best collaboration mode depends on team size and model capability. (iii) Moreover, collaboration improves robustness under noisy priors and exploration conditions. Generally, MECoBench provides a systematic testbed for understanding the mechanisms and limits of multimodal embodied collaboration. Code and dataset are available at https://github.com/q-i-n-g/MECoBench.