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We present an exact algorithm for mean-risk optimization subject to a budget constraint, where decision variables may be continuous or integer. The risk is measured by the covariance matrix and weighted by an arbitrary monotone function,…
This paper extends recent results on the exponential performance analysis of gradient based cooperative control dynamics using the framework of exponential integral quadratic constraints ($\alpha-$IQCs). A cooperative source-seeking problem…
Plackett-Luce gradient estimation enables the optimization of stochastic ranking models within feasible time constraints through sampling techniques. Unfortunately, the computational complexity of existing methods does not scale well with…
This paper investigates the so-called reward-balancing methods, a novel class of algorithms for solving discounted-return reinforcement learning (RL) problems. These methods consist of iteratively adjusting the reward function to transform…
We consider an online stochastic game with risk-averse agents whose goal is to learn optimal decisions that minimize the risk of incurring significantly high costs. Specifically, we use the Conditional Value at Risk (CVaR) as a risk measure…
In statistics and machine learning, approximation of an intractable integration is often achieved by using the unbiased Monte Carlo estimator, but the variances of the estimation are generally high in many applications. Control variates…
This paper develops an inverse reinforcement learning algorithm aimed at recovering a reward function from the observed actions of an agent. We introduce a strategy to flexibly handle different types of actions with two approximations of…
This paper investigates projection-free algorithms for stochastic constrained multi-level optimization. In this context, the objective function is a nested composition of several smooth functions, and the decision set is closed and convex.…
Reinforcement learning, mathematically described by Markov Decision Problems, may be approached either through dynamic programming or policy search. Actor-critic algorithms combine the merits of both approaches by alternating between steps…
Reinforcement learning often requires extensive training data. Simulation-to-real transfer offers a promising approach to address this challenge in robotics. While differentiable simulators offer improved sample efficiency through exact…
We study model-free learning methods for the output-feedback Linear Quadratic (LQ) control problem in finite-horizon subject to subspace constraints on the control policy. Subspace constraints naturally arise in the field of distributed…
Standard reward models typically predict scalar scores that fail to capture the multifaceted nature of response quality in non-verifiable domains, such as creative writing or open-ended instruction following. To address this limitation, we…
We introduce Lipschitz-Killing curvature (LKC) regression, a new method to produce $(1-\alpha)$ thresholds for signal detection in random fields that does not require knowledge of the spatial correlation structure. The idea is to fit…
This paper introduces a novel reinforcement learning (RL) strategy designed to facilitate rapid autonomy transfer by utilizing pre-trained critic value functions from multiple environments. Unlike traditional methods that require extensive…
We study the discrete-time linear-quadratic (LQ) control model using reinforcement learning (RL). Using entropy to measure the cost of exploration, we prove that the optimal feedback policy for the problem must be Gaussian type. Then, we…
We consider the problem of learning error covariance matrices for robotic state estimation. The convergence of a state estimator to the correct belief over the robot state is dependent on the proper tuning of noise models. During inference,…
Reinforcement learning (RL) has demonstrated remarkable potential in robotic manipulation but faces challenges in sample inefficiency and lack of interpretability, limiting its applicability in real world scenarios. Enabling the agent to…
A scaled conjugate gradient method that accelerates existing adaptive methods utilizing stochastic gradients is proposed for solving nonconvex optimization problems with deep neural networks. It is shown theoretically that, whether with…
We present a variant of accelerated gradient descent algorithms, adapted from Nesterov's optimal first-order methods, for weakly-quasi-convex and weakly-quasi-strongly-convex functions. We show that by tweaking the so-called estimate…
This paper investigates distributed zeroth-order optimization for smooth nonconvex problems, targeting the trade-off between convergence rate and sampling cost per zeroth-order gradient estimation in current algorithms that use either the…