6,384 research outputs found
Hierarchical Decomposition of Nonlinear Dynamics and Control for System Identification and Policy Distillation
The control of nonlinear dynamical systems remains a major challenge for
autonomous agents. Current trends in reinforcement learning (RL) focus on
complex representations of dynamics and policies, which have yielded impressive
results in solving a variety of hard control tasks. However, this new
sophistication and extremely over-parameterized models have come with the cost
of an overall reduction in our ability to interpret the resulting policies. In
this paper, we take inspiration from the control community and apply the
principles of hybrid switching systems in order to break down complex dynamics
into simpler components. We exploit the rich representational power of
probabilistic graphical models and derive an expectation-maximization (EM)
algorithm for learning a sequence model to capture the temporal structure of
the data and automatically decompose nonlinear dynamics into stochastic
switching linear dynamical systems. Moreover, we show how this framework of
switching models enables extracting hierarchies of Markovian and
auto-regressive locally linear controllers from nonlinear experts in an
imitation learning scenario.Comment: 2nd Annual Conference on Learning for Dynamics and Contro
A Learning-Based Framework for Two-Dimensional Vehicle Maneuver Prediction over V2V Networks
Situational awareness in vehicular networks could be substantially improved
utilizing reliable trajectory prediction methods. More precise situational
awareness, in turn, results in notably better performance of critical safety
applications, such as Forward Collision Warning (FCW), as well as comfort
applications like Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC). Therefore,
vehicle trajectory prediction problem needs to be deeply investigated in order
to come up with an end to end framework with enough precision required by the
safety applications' controllers. This problem has been tackled in the
literature using different methods. However, machine learning, which is a
promising and emerging field with remarkable potential for time series
prediction, has not been explored enough for this purpose. In this paper, a
two-layer neural network-based system is developed which predicts the future
values of vehicle parameters, such as velocity, acceleration, and yaw rate, in
the first layer and then predicts the two-dimensional, i.e. longitudinal and
lateral, trajectory points based on the first layer's outputs. The performance
of the proposed framework has been evaluated in realistic cut-in scenarios from
Safety Pilot Model Deployment (SPMD) dataset and the results show a noticeable
improvement in the prediction accuracy in comparison with the kinematics model
which is the dominant employed model by the automotive industry. Both ideal and
nonideal communication circumstances have been investigated for our system
evaluation. For non-ideal case, an estimation step is included in the framework
before the parameter prediction block to handle the drawbacks of packet drops
or sensor failures and reconstruct the time series of vehicle parameters at a
desirable frequency
Inferring Latent States and Refining Force Estimates via Hierarchical Dirichlet Process Modeling in Single Particle Tracking Experiments
Optical microscopy provides rich spatio-temporal information characterizing
in vivo molecular motion. However, effective forces and other parameters used
to summarize molecular motion change over time in live cells due to latent
state changes, e.g., changes induced by dynamic micro-environments,
photobleaching, and other heterogeneity inherent in biological processes. This
study focuses on techniques for analyzing Single Particle Tracking (SPT) data
experiencing abrupt state changes. We demonstrate the approach on GFP tagged
chromatids experiencing metaphase in yeast cells and probe the effective forces
resulting from dynamic interactions that reflect the sum of a number of
physical phenomena. State changes are induced by factors such as microtubule
dynamics exerting force through the centromere, thermal polymer fluctuations,
etc. Simulations are used to demonstrate the relevance of the approach in more
general SPT data analyses. Refined force estimates are obtained by adopting and
modifying a nonparametric Bayesian modeling technique, the Hierarchical
Dirichlet Process Switching Linear Dynamical System (HDP-SLDS), for SPT
applications. The HDP-SLDS method shows promise in systematically identifying
dynamical regime changes induced by unobserved state changes when the number of
underlying states is unknown in advance (a common problem in SPT applications).
We expand on the relevance of the HDP-SLDS approach, review the relevant
background of Hierarchical Dirichlet Processes, show how to map discrete time
HDP-SLDS models to classic SPT models, and discuss limitations of the approach.
In addition, we demonstrate new computational techniques for tuning
hyperparameters and for checking the statistical consistency of model
assumptions directly against individual experimental trajectories; the
techniques circumvent the need for "ground-truth" and subjective information.Comment: 25 pages, 6 figures. Differs only typographically from PLoS One
publication available freely as an open-access article at
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.013763
Real-Time Predictive Modeling and Robust Avoidance of Pedestrians with Uncertain, Changing Intentions
To plan safe trajectories in urban environments, autonomous vehicles must be
able to quickly assess the future intentions of dynamic agents. Pedestrians are
particularly challenging to model, as their motion patterns are often uncertain
and/or unknown a priori. This paper presents a novel changepoint detection and
clustering algorithm that, when coupled with offline unsupervised learning of a
Gaussian process mixture model (DPGP), enables quick detection of changes in
intent and online learning of motion patterns not seen in prior training data.
The resulting long-term movement predictions demonstrate improved accuracy
relative to offline learning alone, in terms of both intent and trajectory
prediction. By embedding these predictions within a chance-constrained motion
planner, trajectories which are probabilistically safe to pedestrian motions
can be identified in real-time. Hardware experiments demonstrate that this
approach can accurately predict pedestrian motion patterns from onboard
sensor/perception data and facilitate robust navigation within a dynamic
environment.Comment: Submitted to 2014 International Workshop on the Algorithmic
Foundations of Robotic
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