8,099 research outputs found
Model and Reinforcement Learning for Markov Games with Risk Preferences
We motivate and propose a new model for non-cooperative Markov game which
considers the interactions of risk-aware players. This model characterizes the
time-consistent dynamic "risk" from both stochastic state transitions (inherent
to the game) and randomized mixed strategies (due to all other players). An
appropriate risk-aware equilibrium concept is proposed and the existence of
such equilibria is demonstrated in stationary strategies by an application of
Kakutani's fixed point theorem. We further propose a simulation-based
Q-learning type algorithm for risk-aware equilibrium computation. This
algorithm works with a special form of minimax risk measures which can
naturally be written as saddle-point stochastic optimization problems, and
covers many widely investigated risk measures. Finally, the almost sure
convergence of this simulation-based algorithm to an equilibrium is
demonstrated under some mild conditions. Our numerical experiments on a two
player queuing game validate the properties of our model and algorithm, and
demonstrate their worth and applicability in real life competitive
decision-making.Comment: 38 pages, 6 tables, 5 figure
Risk Aversion in Finite Markov Decision Processes Using Total Cost Criteria and Average Value at Risk
In this paper we present an algorithm to compute risk averse policies in
Markov Decision Processes (MDP) when the total cost criterion is used together
with the average value at risk (AVaR) metric. Risk averse policies are needed
when large deviations from the expected behavior may have detrimental effects,
and conventional MDP algorithms usually ignore this aspect. We provide
conditions for the structure of the underlying MDP ensuring that approximations
for the exact problem can be derived and solved efficiently. Our findings are
novel inasmuch as average value at risk has not previously been considered in
association with the total cost criterion. Our method is demonstrated in a
rapid deployment scenario, whereby a robot is tasked with the objective of
reaching a target location within a temporal deadline where increased speed is
associated with increased probability of failure. We demonstrate that the
proposed algorithm not only produces a risk averse policy reducing the
probability of exceeding the expected temporal deadline, but also provides the
statistical distribution of costs, thus offering a valuable analysis tool
Markov Decision Processes with Applications in Wireless Sensor Networks: A Survey
Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) consist of autonomous and resource-limited
devices. The devices cooperate to monitor one or more physical phenomena within
an area of interest. WSNs operate as stochastic systems because of randomness
in the monitored environments. For long service time and low maintenance cost,
WSNs require adaptive and robust methods to address data exchange, topology
formulation, resource and power optimization, sensing coverage and object
detection, and security challenges. In these problems, sensor nodes are to make
optimized decisions from a set of accessible strategies to achieve design
goals. This survey reviews numerous applications of the Markov decision process
(MDP) framework, a powerful decision-making tool to develop adaptive algorithms
and protocols for WSNs. Furthermore, various solution methods are discussed and
compared to serve as a guide for using MDPs in WSNs
Certified Reinforcement Learning with Logic Guidance
This paper proposes the first model-free Reinforcement Learning (RL)
framework to synthesise policies for unknown, and continuous-state Markov
Decision Processes (MDPs), such that a given linear temporal property is
satisfied. We convert the given property into a Limit Deterministic Buchi
Automaton (LDBA), namely a finite-state machine expressing the property.
Exploiting the structure of the LDBA, we shape a synchronous reward function
on-the-fly, so that an RL algorithm can synthesise a policy resulting in traces
that probabilistically satisfy the linear temporal property. This probability
(certificate) is also calculated in parallel with policy learning when the
state space of the MDP is finite: as such, the RL algorithm produces a policy
that is certified with respect to the property. Under the assumption of finite
state space, theoretical guarantees are provided on the convergence of the RL
algorithm to an optimal policy, maximising the above probability. We also show
that our method produces ''best available'' control policies when the logical
property cannot be satisfied. In the general case of a continuous state space,
we propose a neural network architecture for RL and we empirically show that
the algorithm finds satisfying policies, if there exist such policies. The
performance of the proposed framework is evaluated via a set of numerical
examples and benchmarks, where we observe an improvement of one order of
magnitude in the number of iterations required for the policy synthesis,
compared to existing approaches whenever available.Comment: This article draws from arXiv:1801.08099, arXiv:1809.0782
- …