SDM Policy accelerates inference for robotic tasks while maintaining high action quality.
problem Prolonged inference times in diffusion-based policies for high-frequency control tasks.
method Two-stage optimization: score matching and distribution matching; dual-teacher mechanism.
result 6x inference speedup with state-of-the-art action quality.
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…
Learning to control robots directly based on images is a primary challenge in robotics. However, many existing reinforcement learning approaches require iteratively obtaining millions of robot samples to learn a policy, which can take significant time. In this paper, we focus on learning a realistic world model capturi…
While reinforcement learning (RL) has the potential to enable robots to autonomously acquire a wide range of skills, in practice, RL usually requires manual, per-task engineering of reward functions, especially in real world settings where aspects of the environment needed to compute progress are not directly accessibl…
We consider the problem of learning multi-stage vision-based tasks on a real robot from a single video of a human performing the task, while leveraging demonstration data of subtasks with other objects. This problem presents a number of major challenges. Video demonstrations without teleoperation are easy for humans to…
The automatic and efficient discovery of skills, without supervision, for long-living autonomous agents, remains a challenge of Artificial Intelligence. Intrinsically Motivated Goal Exploration Processes give learning agents a human-inspired mechanism to sequentially select goals to achieve. This approach gives a new p…
Infants are experts at playing, with an amazing ability to generate novel structured behaviors in unstructured environments that lack clear extrinsic reward signals. We seek to replicate some of these abilities with a neural network that implements curiosity-driven intrinsic motivation. Using a simple but ecologically …
Reinforcement learning and planning methods require an objective or reward function that encodes the desired behavior. Yet, in practice, there is a wide range of scenarios where an objective is difficult to provide programmatically, such as tasks with visual observations involving unknown object positions or deformable…
Modern automation systems rely on closed loop control, wherein a controller interacts with a controlled process, based on observations. These systems are increasingly complex, yet most controllers are linear Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controllers. PID controllers perform well on linear and near-linear syste…
Derives optimal control conditions using calculus of variations.
problem Optimizing Markov control in stochastic control problems.
method Calculus of variations approach to derive necessary conditions.
result Solves the Merton portfolio optimization problem.
Framework simplifies vision-based control and goal discovery.
problem Learning proportional control from visual data.
method Introduces NewtonianVAE for proportional control and goal discovery.
result Dramatic simplification and acceleration of vision-based controllers.
Paper studies constrained control games with a novel approximation method.
problem Games with constrained control directions.
method Approximation procedure based on L1-stability estimates and almost sure convergence. result Existence of game's value and optimal strategy for the stopper.
This work tackles force control for contact-rich manipulation tasks with rigid robots using RL.
problem Challenges in working with real robotic hardware, especially position-controlled robots.
method Combines RL with traditional force control techniques, implementing parallel position/force control and admittance control.
result Validated methods on both simulation and real robot (UR3 e-series) for force control.
RL applied to TCLs for power consumption control.
problem Optimizing power consumption using TCLs with RL.
method Modelica-based reinforcement learning (Q-learning) for stochastic TCLs.
result Q-learning parameters affect controller performance.
A framework integrates machine learning with robust control for safer, more reliable systems.
problem Combining machine learning with robust control for systems with stringent safety and reliability requirements.
method Integrates Gaussian Process Regression and state-of-the-art robust controller synthesis within a framework that provides rigorous guarantees.
result Demonstrated improved performance with more data while maintaining rigorous guarantees.
Paper uses deep reinforcement learning for better control of rocket engines during start-up phases.
problem Lack of optimal control during transient phases of liquid rocket engines.
method Deep reinforcement learning approach for optimal control of a gas-generator engine's continuous start-up phase.
result Deep reinforcement learning controller achieves highest performance and minimal computational effort.
Neural ODEs control graph dynamics with low energy feedback.
problem Controlling complex dynamical systems on graphs.
method Neural Ordinary Differential Equation Control (NODEC) framework.
result NODEC learns low-energy control signals for graph dynamical systems.
Just as an explicit parameterisation of system dynamics by state, i.e., a choice of coordinates, can impede the identification of general structure, so it is too with an explicit parameterisation of system dynamics by control. However, such explicit and fixed parameterisation by control is commonplace in control theory…
Unified control theory and machine learning for safety in uncertain systems.
problem Safety guarantees for systems with measurement model uncertainty.
method Measurement-Robust Control Barrier Functions (MR-CBFs) for control synthesis.
result MR-CBFs ensure safety in perception systems with measurement model uncertainty.
Paper studies optimal control for a specific geometric problem.
problem Optimal control problem associated with the Paneitz obstacle problem.
method Existence and regularity results for optimal controls.
result Existence of optimal controls and their properties.
Hybrid systems are characterized by having an interaction between continuous dynamics and discrete events. The contribution of this paper is to provide hybrid systems with a novel geometric formulation so that controls can be added. Using this framework we describe some new global controllability tests for hybrid contr…
Optimizes dividend policies in a Brownian model with controlled rates.
problem Realistic optimal dividend policies in a stochastic control problem.
method Delayed linear control strategies for refracted diffusion processes.
result Optimality of delayed linear control strategies for dividend payments.
New method uses neural nets to control systems safely with disturbances.
problem Designing safe control laws for systems with disturbances.
method Imitation learning to train neural network controllers that satisfy CBF constraints.
result Demonstrated on a unicycle model with external disturbances.
Paper proposes a new method to optimize robot body structure and control policy.
problem Optimizing robot body structure and control policy in a coupled manner.
method Revisits co-design problem as a Stackelberg game, incorporating control adaptation dynamics.
result Stackelberg PPO outperforms standard PPO in stability and performance.
Non-bilinear observations make optimal control harder, showing non-convex costs and non-affine optimal controllers.
problem Optimal control from bilinear observations in linear systems is challenging.
method Analytical and numerical methods to study the non-convex cost-to-go and non-affine optimal controllers.
result The Separation Principle does not hold for bilinear observations, leading to non-convex costs and non-affine optimal controllers.
Defense strategy improves controller robustness against adversarial attacks.
problem Adversarial attacks on learning-enabled controllers in CPS.
method Two-stage defense strategy treating controller and environment as black-boxes with unknown dynamics.
result Defense strategy effectively improves controller robustness in realistic control domains.
This paper considers control systems defined on Lie algebroids. After deriving basic controllability tests for general control systems, we specialize our discussion to the class of mechanical control systems on Lie algebroids. This class of systems includes mechanical systems subject to holonomic and nonholonomic const…
Survey of theoretical foundations for policy optimization in control.
problem Understanding the theoretical properties of gradient-based methods in control and reinforcement learning.
method Interdisciplinary review of optimization landscape, convergence, and sample complexity for various control problems.
result Recent theoretical results on stability and robustness in learning-based control.
Survey combines FL and control for better adaptability and privacy.
problem Combining FL and control for better adaptability and privacy.
method Combining Federated Learning (FL) and control methods.
result Combining FL and control enhances adaptability, scalability, generalization, and privacy.
New method for handling multi-dimensional singular controls with jump costs in mean-field problems.
problem Handling jump costs in multi-dimensional singular controls.
method Introducing two-layer parametrisations to interpolate jumps on both distributional and pathwise levels.
result Derivation of a DPP and characterisation of the value function as a minimal super-solution to a quasi-variational inequality.
Researchers develop a method to control nonlinear systems with Koopman operator regression.
problem Controlling nonlinear systems with finite action spaces.
method Koopman operator regression for dynamics estimation and model predictive control for control.
result The method yields a linear switching predictive model for control.
A new Q-learning controller improves line follower robot control.
problem Challenges in controlling line follower robots due to unknown mechanical characteristics and uncertainties.
method Simulated annealing based Q learning method to address controller performance issues.
result The proposed controller outperforms conventional P controllers in line follower robots.
Anticipatory model generates music with control over events.
problem Controlling symbolic music generation.
method Interleaving event and control sequences to predict future events.
result Anticipatory model matches autoregressive models in performance and can infill control tasks.
New algorithm achieves logarithmic regret for adversarial online control.
problem Online linear-quadratic control in systems with adversarial disturbances.
method Characterization of optimal offline control law, reduced to online learning with approximate advantage functions.
result First algorithm with logarithmic regret for arbitrary adversarial disturbance sequences.
Meta-learning control algorithm with finite-time guarantees for unknown systems.
problem Online control of unknown linear systems with constraints.
method Provable regret guarantees for an iterative control algorithm.
result Regret bounds of O(T3/4) for controller cost and constraint violation. Designs adaptive controller for networked control systems with wireless data transmission.
problem Adaptive control in networked systems with unreliable wireless channels.
method Upper Confidence Bounds for Networked Control Systems (UCB-NCS) learning rule.
result Non-asymptotic performance guarantees with a regret bound of O(C√T).
New robust control method for uncertain systems using bootstrapped noise.
problem Designing controllers robust to model uncertainties in finite data.
method Least-squares model estimator, bootstrap resampling, multiplicative noise LQR.
result Significantly outperforms certainty equivalent controllers in numerical tests.
Since governments give stimulus to firms and expect the spillover effect by fiscal policies, it is important to know the effectiveness that they can control the economy. To clarify the controllability of the economy, we investigate a firm production network observed exhaustively in Japan and what firms should be direct…
Motivated by the ubiquity of control-affine systems in optimal control theory, we investigate the geometry of point-affine control systems with metric structures in dimensions two and three. We compute local isometric invariants for point-affine distributions of constant type with metric structures for systems with 2 s…
New neural methods for stable control with provable guarantees.
problem Designing stable control policies for nonlinear systems.
method Neural network Lyapunov functions and a falsifier to guide learning.
result Provable stability of controlled nonlinear systems.
In this paper a neural network heuristic dynamic programing (HDP) is used for optimal control of the virtual inertia based control of grid connected three phase inverters. It is shown that the conventional virtual inertia controllers are not suited for non inductive grids. A neural network based controller is proposed …
Paper proposes a new model for better engine control.
problem Optimal control problems are non-convex and hard to solve online.
method Combines Hammerstein-Wiener model with input convex neural networks.
result Optimal control problems are effectively solvable due to convexity and partial linearity.
Deep neural networks improve chemical reactor control using MPC.
problem Improving control of chemical reactors with neural networks.
method Training neural networks on model predictive control (MPC) for reactor control.
result Neural network can mimic MPC control inputs while maintaining constraints.
The paper tackles data-driven optimal control of unknown nonlinear systems using RKHS.
problem Unknown nonlinear dynamics and stage cost functions.
method Embed state densities into RKHS, learn Markov operators, solve Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman recursions.
result Solves a wide range of nonlinear control problems, including depth regulation.
Study proves optimal controls for stochastic Volterra equations with singular kernels.
problem Existence of optimal controls for stochastic Volterra equations with singular kernels.
method Sufficient conditions based on integrability and growth hypotheses.
result Existence of optimal relaxed and strict controls under classical convexity assumptions.
Random features enhance control of complex systems.
problem Flexible nonlinear models for control-affine systems.
method Random features approximations for control-affine structure.
result Methods formalized and shown to relate to ADP and AD kernels.
Motion planning and control are key problems in a collection of robotic applications including the design of autonomous agile vehicles and of minimalist manipulators. These problems can be accurately formalized within the language of affine connections and of geometric control theory. In this paper we overview recent r…
The OGY method is one of control methods for a chaotic system. In the method, we have to calculate a stabilizing periodic orbit embedded in its chaotic attractor. Thus, we cannot use this method in the case where a precise mathematical model of the chaotic system cannot be identified. In this case, the delayed feedback…