Related papers: Positive Dynamic Programming: A Critique
Differential Dynamic Programming (DDP) is an efficient trajectory optimization algorithm relying on second-order approximations of a system's dynamics and cost function, and has recently been applied to optimize systems with time-invariant…
Real-world experiments involve batched & delayed feedback, non-stationarity, multiple objectives & constraints, and (often some) personalization. Tailoring adaptive methods to address these challenges on a per-problem basis is infeasible,…
The paper addresses the problem of optimization of a guaranteed (worst case) result for a control system driven by a controlling side in presence of a dynamical disturbance. The disturbances as functions of time are subject to functional…
Calculating optimal policies is known to be computationally difficult for Markov decision processes (MDPs) with Borel state and action spaces. This paper studies finite-state approximations of discrete time Markov decision processes with…
Implicit variables of a mathematical program are variables which do not need to be optimized but are used to model feasibility conditions. They frequently appear in several different problem classes of optimization theory comprising bilevel…
This paper studies bipedal locomotion as a nonlinear optimization problem based on continuous and discrete dynamics, by simultaneously optimizing the remaining step duration, the next step duration and the foot location to achieve…
In this paper, we consider discrete-time infinite horizon problems of optimal control to a terminal set of states. These are the problems that are often taken as the starting point for adaptive dynamic programming. Under very general…
The linear programming (LP) approach has a long history in the theory of approximate dynamic programming. When it comes to computation, however, the LP approach often suffers from poor scalability. In this work, we introduce a relaxed…
The paper develops the Adaptive Dynamic Programming Toolbox (ADPT), which solves optimal control problems for continuous-time nonlinear systems. Based on the adaptive dynamic programming technique, the ADPT computes optimal feedback…
In this paper we consider shortest path problems in a directed graph where the transitions between nodes are subject to uncertainty. We use a minimax formulation, where the objective is to guarantee that a special destination state is…
Dynamic Programming (DP) provides standard algorithms to solve Markov Decision Processes. However, these algorithms generally do not optimize a scalar objective function. In this paper, we draw connections between DP and (constrained)…
In this paper, we consider the problem of optimization of a portfolio consisting of securities. An investor with an initial capital, is interested in constructing a portfolio of securities. If the prices of securities change, the investor…
We extend Robust Optimization to fractional programming, where both the objective and the constraints contain uncertain parameters. Earlier work did not consider uncertainty in both the objective and the constraints, or did not use Robust…
We study discrete-time Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) on finite state-action spaces and analyze the stability of optimal policies and value functions in the long-run discounted risk-sensitive objective setting. Our analysis addresses…
In complex engineered systems, completing an objective is sometimes not enough. The system must be able to reach a set performance characteristic, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle flying from point A to point B, \textit{under 10 seconds}.…
This paper deals with the stochastic control of nonlinear systems in the presence of state and control constraints, for uncertain discrete-time dynamics in finite dimensional spaces. In the deterministic case, the viability kernel is known…
We consider the hardness of approximation of optimization problems from the point of view of definability. For many NP-hard optimization problems it is known that, unless P = NP, no polynomial-time algorithm can give an approximate solution…
We provide an overview on how to use the measurable selection techniques to derive the dynamic programming principle for a general stochastic optimal control/stopping problem. By considering its martingale problem formulation on the…
Many planning applications involve complex relationships defined on high-dimensional, continuous variables. For example, robotic manipulation requires planning with kinematic, collision, visibility, and motion constraints involving robot…
It is well known that for any finite state Markov decision process (MDP) there is a memoryless deterministic policy that maximizes the expected reward. For partially observable Markov decision processes (POMDPs), optimal memoryless policies…