Related papers: Averaging $n$-step Returns Reduces Variance in Rei…
Reinforcement Learning (RL) can model complex behavior policies for goal-directed sequential decision making tasks. A hallmark of RL algorithms is Temporal Difference (TD) learning: value function for the current state is moved towards a…
High variances in reinforcement learning have shown impeding successful convergence and hurting task performance. As reward signal plays an important role in learning behavior, multi-step methods have been considered to mitigate the…
A promising way to improve the sample efficiency of reinforcement learning is model-based methods, in which many explorations and evaluations can happen in the learned models to save real-world samples. However, when the learned model has a…
Deep reinforcement learning (RL) has achieved remarkable success in solving complex tasks through its integration with deep neural networks (DNNs) as function approximators. However, the reliance on DNNs has introduced a new challenge…
Multi-step methods such as Retrace($\lambda$) and $n$-step $Q$-learning have become a crucial component of modern deep reinforcement learning agents. These methods are often evaluated as a part of bigger architectures and their evaluations…
This paper investigates estimating the variance of a temporal-difference learning agent's update target. Most reinforcement learning methods use an estimate of the value function, which captures how good it is for the agent to be in a…
One of the notorious issues for Reinforcement Learning (RL) is poor sample efficiency. Compared to single agent RL, the sample efficiency for Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning (MARL) is more challenging because of its inherent partial…
In model-based reinforcement learning (MBRL), most algorithms rely on simulating trajectories from one-step dynamics models learned on data. A critical challenge of this approach is the compounding of one-step prediction errors as length of…
Model-based reinforcement learning is an appealing framework for creating agents that learn, plan, and act in sequential environments. Model-based algorithms typically involve learning a transition model that takes a state and an action and…
The concept of utilizing multi-step returns for updating value functions has been adopted in deep reinforcement learning (DRL) for a number of years. Updating value functions with different backup lengths provides advantages in different…
We propose a hybrid approach aimed at improving the sample efficiency in goal-directed reinforcement learning. We do this via a two-step mechanism where firstly, we approximate a model from Model-Free reinforcement learning. Then, we…
Compounding error, where small prediction mistakes accumulate over time, presents a major challenge in learning-based control. For example, this issue often limits the performance of model-based reinforcement learning and imitation…
In standard reinforcement learning (RL), a learning agent seeks to optimize the overall reward. However, many key aspects of a desired behavior are more naturally expressed as constraints. For instance, the designer may want to limit the…
Model-based reinforcement learning aims to increase sample efficiency, but the accuracy of dynamics models and the resulting compounding errors are often seen as key limitations. This paper empirically investigates potential sample…
Model-based reinforcement learning attempts to use an available or learned model to improve the data efficiency of reinforcement learning. This work proposes a one-step lookback approach that jointly learns the deep incremental model and…
Reinforcement learning is able to solve complex sequential decision-making tasks but is currently limited by sample efficiency and required computation. To improve sample efficiency, recent work focuses on model-based RL which interleaves…
Meta reinforcement learning (RL) allows agents to leverage experience across a distribution of tasks on which the agent can train at will, enabling faster learning of optimal policies on new test tasks. Despite its success in improving…
Traditional RL-based locomotion controllers often suffer from low data efficiency, requiring extensive interaction to achieve robust performance. We present a model-based reinforcement learning (MBRL) framework that improves sample…
Multi-step (also called n-step) methods in reinforcement learning (RL) have been shown to be more efficient than the 1-step method due to faster propagation of the reward signal, both theoretically and empirically, in tasks exploiting…
Current reinforcement learning algorithms train an agent using forward-generated trajectories, which provide little guidance so that the agent can explore as much as possible. While realizing the value of reinforcement learning results from…