Efficient local planning with linear approximations for agents with limited simulator access.
problem Planning with limited simulator access in reinforcement learning.
method Confident Monte Carlo Least Square Policy Iteration (Confident MC-LSPI) and Politex (Confident MC-Politex) algorithms.
result The algorithms can learn the optimal policy with local simulator access, even for linear Q-functions.
Improved API to achieve optimal error bound and query complexity in local planning.
problem Efficient local planning in discounted MDPs with linear approximation.
method Confident Approximate Policy Iteration (CAPI) for stationary policies, applying to local access simulators.
result Achieves optimal accuracy and query complexity bounds, improving over API.
We propose in this paper a constructive procedure that transforms locally, even at singular configurations, the kinematics of a car towing trailers into Kumpera-Ruiz normal form. This construction converts the nonholonomic motion planning problem into an algebraic problem (the resolution of a system of polynomial equat…
PDSketch enables flexible robot planning by learning from domain structures.
problem Building general robots with flexible planning.
method Exploiting locality and sparsity in environmental models, PDSketch defines high-level structures for trainable neural networks.
result PDSketch automatically generates planning heuristics without additional training.
A new method for multi-agent planning on graphs outperforms existing approaches.
problem Planning coordination among multiple interacting agents on a graph.
method Variational perturbation theory applied to inference in large networks.
result Our method outperforms state-of-the-art methods in non-local cost function scenarios.
We propose a plan online and learn offline (POLO) framework for the setting where an agent, with an internal model, needs to continually act and learn in the world. Our work builds on the synergistic relationship between local model-based control, global value function learning, and exploration. We study how local traj…
Proposes balancing revenue and environmental impact in assortment planning.
problem Maximizing revenue while considering environmental impact in retail assortment planning.
method Multi-objective optimization using Higg Material Sustainability Index.
result Shows it's possible to have lower environmental impact without significant revenue loss.
Survey on manifold complexities and motion planning in robotics.
problem Understanding topological complexities of manifolds in robotic motion planning.
method Overview of topological complexities, geodesic motion planning, and connections to critical point theory.
result Estimation of motion planning complexity using Riemannian geometry and critical point theory.
We introduce a framework for model learning and planning in stochastic domains with continuous state and action spaces and non-Gaussian transition models. It is efficient because (1) local models are estimated only when the planner requires them; (2) the planner focuses on the most relevant states to the current planni…
PBCS combines RL and motion planning for better exploration.
problem RL algorithms struggle with versatile exploration in complex environments.
method PBCS uses motion planning to find a good trajectory, then trains RL on a curriculum derived from it.
result PBCS outperforms state-of-the-art RL algorithms in 2D maze environments.
Plan2Vec learns image representations without labels, improving control tasks.
problem Learning image representations without labeled data.
method Constructs a weighted graph using near-neighbor distances and extrapolates to global embedding.
result Plan2Vec achieves accurate long-term value estimates in control tasks with reduced computational and memory costs.
Efficient algorithms for planning in cooperative multi-agent reinforcement learning with combinatorial action spaces.
problem Planning in cooperative multi-agent reinforcement learning with a combinatorial action space.
method Efficient algorithms using local access to a simulator and linear function approximation, with improvements for additive feature decomposition and kernelized settings.
result Polynomial compute and query complexity in relevant problem parameters.
We consider tackling a single-agent RL problem by distributing it to n learners. These learners, called advisors, endeavour to solve the problem from a different focus. Their advice, taking the form of action values, is then communicated to an aggregator, which is in control of the system. We show that the local plan…
Swept Volume (SV), the volume displaced by an object when it is moving along a trajectory, is considered a useful metric for motion planning. First, SV has been used to identify collisions along a trajectory, because it directly measures the amount of space required for an object to move. Second, in sampling-based moti…
This paper describes and evaluates the use of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) for path planning in support of smart mobility applications such as indoor and outdoor navigation applications, individualized wayfinding for people with disabilities (e.g., vision impairments, physical disabilities, etc.), path planni…
Predicting discomfort glare in open-plan offices is a challenging problem. Although glare research has existed for more than 50 years, all current glare metrics have accuracy limitations, especially in open-plan offices with low lighting levels. Thus, it is crucial to develop a new method to predict glare more accurate…
XLVINs improve data efficiency in implicit planning by leveraging latent space.
problem Improving data efficiency in implicit planning algorithms.
method XLVINs use a high-dimensional latent space to perform planning computations, breaking the algorithmic bottleneck.
result XLVINs significantly improve data efficiency across various settings compared to value iteration-based implicit planners and model-free baselines.
Hybridizes CEM and gradient descent for efficient model-predictive control.
problem Efficiently planning optimal action sequences in high-dimensional spaces.
method Interleaves Cross-Entropy Method (CEM) and gradient descent steps.
result Faster convergence and avoidance of local optima compared to CEM.
Predictive state representations (PSRs) offer an expressive framework for modelling partially observable systems. By compactly representing systems as functions of observable quantities, the PSR learning approach avoids using local-minima prone expectation-maximization and instead employs a globally optimal moment-base…
PAC-MCTS addresses biased search in LLM-guided planning by dynamically pruning.
problem Systematic biases in LLMs lead to inefficient and unsafe search in deep planning tasks.
method Formulates node expansion as BAI under bounded bias, derives sample complexity bounds, and proposes PAC-MCTS for dynamic confidence bounds.
result PAC-MCTS improves robustness and efficiency by up to 78% fewer API evaluations and 3x higher sample efficiency.
Improves RL planning by proposing sub-goals hierarchically.
problem Sequential planning assumption in RL.
method Divide-and-Conquer Monte Carlo Tree Search (DC-MCTS).
result Improves navigation and control tasks.
New method designs fairer transport plans with uncertainty.
problem Designing fair and balanced mass transport plans.
method Hierarchical fully probabilistic design (HFPD) for transport plans.
result Optimal hyperprior for transport plans with uncertain marginals.
Cultural activity is an inherent aspect of urban life and the success of a modern city is largely determined by its capacity to offer generous cultural entertainment to its citizens. To this end, the optimal allocation of cultural establishments and related resources across urban regions becomes of vital importance, as…
Active localization is the problem of generating robot actions that allow it to maximally disambiguate its pose within a reference map. Traditional approaches to this use an information-theoretic criterion for action selection and hand-crafted perceptual models. In this work we propose an end-to-end differentiable meth…
Study proposes explainable analytics for manufacturing process planning.
problem Improving data-driven decision-making in manufacturing.
method Combines process mining, machine learning, and XAI. Uses deep learning for prediction and Shapley values/ICE plots for explanations.
result Enhanced decision-making capabilities through local post-hoc explanations.
New findings reveal discount regularization can be seen as a strong prior, leading to poor performance in unevenly sampled data.
problem Discount regularization leads to poor performance in unevenly sampled data.
method Equivalence theorem showing discount regularization as a strong prior, setting regularization parameters locally for individual state-action pairs.
result Discount regularization can be seen as a strong prior, leading to poor performance in unevenly sampled data.
We aim to reduce the burden of programming and deploying autonomous systems to work in concert with people in time-critical domains, such as military field operations and disaster response. Deployment plans for these operations are frequently negotiated on-the-fly by teams of human planners. A human operator then trans…
Study integrates reliability constraints into generation planning models.
problem Challenges in integrating reliability constraints with generation planning models.
method Leverages a weighted oblique decision tree (WODT) technique to embed reliability verification constraints.
result Demonstrates effectiveness in achieving reliable and optimal planning solutions.
New approach improves black-box planning efficiency by discovering focused macros.
problem Difficulty of deterministic planning increases exponentially with depth.
method Discovering macro-actions with focused effects to improve goal-count heuristics.
result Focused macros dramatically improve black-box planning efficiency.
In this paper, we propose a novel Reinforcement Learning approach for solving the Active Information Acquisition problem, which requires an agent to choose a sequence of actions in order to acquire information about a process of interest using on-board sensors. The classic challenges in the information acquisition prob…
Study motion planning for points avoiding obstacles in a plane.
problem Avoiding collisions for multiple points in a plane with unknown obstacles.
method Algebraic and topological tools for motion planning.
result New topological complexity for planar motion planning.
Selective planning with imperfect models reduces harmful effects of model inadequacy.
problem Harmful effects of using an imperfect model in reinforcement learning.
method Selective planning with heteroscedastic regression to estimate predictive uncertainty from model inadequacy.
result Effective selective planning requires considering both parameter uncertainty and model inadequacy.
CoMPNetX uses neural networks to efficiently solve constrained motion planning problems.
problem Finding collision-free paths on constraint manifolds efficiently.
method Neural generator and discriminator with neural gradients-based projection operator.
result CoMPNetX finds path solutions with high success rates and lower computation times.
This article asks how planning scholarship may effectively gain impact in planning practice through media exposure. In liberal democracies the public sphere is dominated by mass media. Therefore, working with such media is a prerequisite for effective public impact of planning research. Using the example of megaproject…
We introduce Dynamic Planning Networks (DPN), a novel architecture for deep reinforcement learning, that combines model-based and model-free aspects for online planning. Our architecture learns to dynamically construct plans using a learned state-transition model by selecting and traversing between simulated states and…
New method combines heuristics and search techniques to speed up cooperative planning for autonomous vehicles.
problem Efficient cooperative planning for autonomous vehicles in complex traffic scenarios.
method Combining learned heuristics with Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) to guide search towards promising actions.
result Better solutions at lower computational costs achieved through accelerated planning.
This paper presents a unifying framework for reinforcement learning and planning.
problem Sequential decision making in AI, formalized as MDP optimization.
method A unifying algorithmic framework (FRAP) for reinforcement learning and planning.
result Identifies common dimensions in MDP planning and learning algorithms.
A planning approach learns skills from interactions, balancing exploration and exploitation.
problem Learning robust high-level skills in noisy environments with unknown pre-conditions.
method Formulates skills as high-level policies, learns plans via bandit problems, balances exploration and exploitation.
result A planner capable of learning robust high-level skills in high-dimensional state spaces.
Survey of integrating planning and learning in model-based reinforcement learning.
problem Sequential decision making in AI, formalized as MDP optimization.
method Systematic coverage of dynamics model learning and planning-learning integration.
result Broad conceptual overview of model-based reinforcement learning.
Fast and efficient motion planning algorithms are crucial for many state-of-the-art robotics applications such as self-driving cars. Existing motion planning methods become ineffective as their computational complexity increases exponentially with the dimensionality of the motion planning problem. To address this issue…
Model place cells as spatial embeddings for efficient path planning and cognitive map construction.
problem Encoding spatial navigation in the hippocampus.
method Model place cells using spectral decomposition of multi-step random walk transition kernels, inducing sparsity and adjacency.
result Place cells encode spatial information through non-negativity and inner-product structure, forming a cognitive map.
A reinforcement learning framework combining value function and tree search planner for strategic and tactical decisions.
problem Strategic and tactical decision-making in discrete environments.
method Combines value function and tree search planner, using uncertainty modeling and risk measurement.
result Improves performance and learning speed on hard exploration environments.
New approach for obstacle avoidance in robotics using learned representations.
problem Challenges in sensor-based motion planning for new and dynamic environments.
method Proposes a new obstacle representation using PointNet architecture trained jointly with policies for obstacle avoidance.
result Significant improvements in accuracy and efficiency compared to state of the art.
TensorPlan algorithm finds δ-optimal policies with poly(H,d) queries under linearly realizable state-value function.
problem Efficient planning in MDPs with linearly realizable state-value function.
method TensorPlan algorithm using poly((dH/δ)A) simulator queries. result First algorithm with polynomial query complexity using only linear-realizability of a single competing value function.
Reinforcement learning and symbolic planning have both been used to build intelligent autonomous agents. Reinforcement learning relies on learning from interactions with real world, which often requires an unfeasibly large amount of experience. Symbolic planning relies on manually crafted symbolic knowledge, which may …
A key challenge in complex visuomotor control is learning abstract representations that are effective for specifying goals, planning, and generalization. To this end, we introduce universal planning networks (UPN). UPNs embed differentiable planning within a goal-directed policy. This planning computation unrolls a for…
Study improves traffic prediction intervals for minor roads.
problem Uncertainty in traffic data for underrepresented minor roads.
method Quantile Random Forest with PCA for interval prediction.
result Achieved 88.22% interval coverage and Winkler Score of 7,468.47.
New research shows exponential lower bounds for planning in MDPs with linearly-realizable optimal action-value functions.
problem Determining the minimum number of queries needed for sound planners in MDPs with linear function approximation.
method Analyzing fixed-horizon and discounted MDPs with a generative model, showing lower bounds on the number of queries required.
result Sound planners need at least exponential number of queries in both fixed-horizon and discounted settings.