Related papers: Learning What Matters: Adaptive Information-Theore…
In this work, we propose an attention-based deep reinforcement learning approach to address the adaptive informative path planning (IPP) problem in 3D space, where an aerial robot equipped with a downward-facing sensor must dynamically…
We consider optimal experimental design (OED) problems in selecting the most informative observation sensors to estimate model parameters in a Bayesian framework. Such problems are computationally prohibitive when the…
Conventional Bayesian optimal experimental design seeks to maximize the expected information gain (EIG) on model parameters. However, the end goal of the experiment often is not to learn the model parameters, but to predict downstream…
The core objective of machine-assisted scientific discovery is to learn physical laws from experimental data without prior knowledge of the systems in question. In the area of quantum physics, making progress towards these goals is…
Efficient exploration remains a major challenge for reinforcement learning. One reason is that the variability of the returns often depends on the current state and action, and is therefore heteroscedastic. Classical exploration strategies…
Incomplete knowledge of the environment leads an agent to make decisions under uncertainty. One of the major dilemmas in Reinforcement Learning (RL) where an autonomous agent has to balance two contrasting needs in making its decisions is:…
Optimal experimental design (OED) seeks experiments expected to yield the most useful data for some purpose. In practical circumstances where experiments are time-consuming or resource-intensive, OED can yield enormous savings. We pursue…
When an object detector is deployed in a novel setting it often experiences a drop in performance. This paper studies how an embodied agent can automatically fine-tune a pre-existing object detector while exploring and acquiring images in a…
We consider robust optimal experimental design (ROED) for nonlinear Bayesian inverse problems governed by partial differential equations (PDEs). An optimal design is one that maximizes some utility quantifying the quality of the solution of…
This work pushes the boundaries of learning-based methods in autonomous robot exploration in terms of environmental scale and exploration efficiency. We present HEADER, an attention-based reinforcement learning approach with hierarchical…
The iterative search process of evolutionary algorithms (EAs) encapsulates optimization knowledge within historical populations and fitness evaluations. Effective utilization of this knowledge is crucial for facilitating knowledge transfer…
In this paper, we investigate the utility of datasets and whether more data or the 'right' data is advantageous for robot learning. In particular, we are interested on quantifying the utility of contact-based data as contact holds…
The field of quickest change detection (QCD) focuses on the design and analysis of online algorithms that estimate the time at which a significant event occurs. In this paper, design and analysis are cast in a Bayesian framework, where QCD…
Quality-Diversity (QD) algorithms evolve behaviourally diverse and high-performing solutions. To illuminate the elite solutions for a space of behaviours, QD algorithms require the definition of a suitable behaviour space. If the behaviour…
This paper introduces an innovative approach based on policy iteration (PI), a reinforcement learning (RL) algorithm, to obtain an optimal observer with a quadratic cost function. This observer is designed for systems with a given…
Imitation learning has demonstrated impressive results in robotic manipulation but fails under out-of-distribution (OOD) states. This limitation is particularly critical in Deformable Object Manipulation (DOM), where the near-infinite…
Quality Diversity (QD) has shown great success in discovering high-performing, diverse policies for robot skill learning. While current benchmarks have led to the development of powerful QD methods, we argue that new paradigms must be…
This paper develops KL-Ergodic Exploration from Equilibrium ($\text{KL-E}^3$), a method for robotic systems to integrate stability into actively generating informative measurements through ergodic exploration. Ergodic exploration enables…
Quadrupeds are strong candidates for navigating challenging environments because of their agile and dynamic designs. This paper presents a methodology that extends the range of exploration for quadrupedal robots by creating an end-to-end…
The objective of a reinforcement learning agent is to discover better actions through exploration. However, typical exploration techniques aim to maximize rewards, often incurring high costs in both exploration and learning processes. We…