Neural Task Programming: Learning to Generalize Across Hierarchical Tasks

In this work, we propose a novel robot learning framework called Neural Task Programming (NTP), which bridges the idea of few-shot learning from demonstration and neural program induction. NTP takes as input a task specification (e.g., video demonstration of a task) and recursively decomposes it into finer sub-task specifications. These specifications are fed to a hierarchical neural program, where bottom-level programs are callable subroutines that interact with the environment. We validate our method in three robot manipulation tasks. NTP achieves strong generalization across sequential tasks that exhibit hierarchal and compositional structures. The experimental results show that NTP learns to generalize well to- wards unseen tasks with increasing lengths, variable topologies, and changing objectives.Comment: ICRA 201

NASA space station automation: AI-based technology review

Research and Development projects in automation for the Space Station are discussed. Artificial Intelligence (AI) based automation technologies are planned to enhance crew safety through reduced need for EVA, increase crew productivity through the reduction of routine operations, increase space station autonomy, and augment space station capability through the use of teleoperation and robotics. AI technology will also be developed for the servicing of satellites at the Space Station, system monitoring and diagnosis, space manufacturing, and the assembly of large space structures

Systems for technical refinement in experienced performers: The case from expert-level golf

This paper provides an overview of current golf coaching practices employed with experts, when attempting to make changes to (i.e., refine) a player’s existing technique. In the first of two studies, European Tour golfers (n = 5) and coaches (n = 5) were interviewed to establish the prevalence of any systematic processes, and whether facilitation of resistance to competitive pressure (hereafter termed “pressure resistance”) was included. Study 2 employed an online survey, administered to 89 PGA Professionals and amateur golfers (mostly amateurs; n = 83). Overall, results suggested no standardized, systematic, or theoretically considered approach to implementing technical change, with pressure resistance being considered outside of the change process itself; if addressed at all. In conclusion, there is great scope for PGA professionals to increase their coaching efficacy relating to skill refinement; however, this appears most likely to be achieved through a collaborative approach between coach education providers, researchers, and coaches

Agent AI: Surveying the Horizons of Multimodal Interaction

Multi-modal AI systems will likely become a ubiquitous presence in our everyday lives. A promising approach to making these systems more interactive is to embody them as agents within physical and virtual environments. At present, systems leverage existing foundation models as the basic building blocks for the creation of embodied agents. Embedding agents within such environments facilitates the ability of models to process and interpret visual and contextual data, which is critical for the creation of more sophisticated and context-aware AI systems. For example, a system that can perceive user actions, human behavior, environmental objects, audio expressions, and the collective sentiment of a scene can be used to inform and direct agent responses within the given environment. To accelerate research on agent-based multimodal intelligence, we define "Agent AI" as a class of interactive systems that can perceive visual stimuli, language inputs, and other environmentally-grounded data, and can produce meaningful embodied actions. In particular, we explore systems that aim to improve agents based on next-embodied action prediction by incorporating external knowledge, multi-sensory inputs, and human feedback. We argue that by developing agentic AI systems in grounded environments, one can also mitigate the hallucinations of large foundation models and their tendency to generate environmentally incorrect outputs. The emerging field of Agent AI subsumes the broader embodied and agentic aspects of multimodal interactions. Beyond agents acting and interacting in the physical world, we envision a future where people can easily create any virtual reality or simulated scene and interact with agents embodied within the virtual environment

A pragmatic approach to skill acquisition for physical education:Considering cognitive and ecological dynamics perspectives

Learning theories provide philosophically informed, basic principles for understanding the mechanisms through which people learn based on a combination of field or laboratorystudies. Unfortunately, however, there are several clear conflicts between theoreticalapproaches and common methods in teaching. Consequently, key challenges among teachersrelate to knowing which theoretical approach to adopt and, therefore, methods to apply. Thiscontradiction is even more confusing since some arguments from each approach are coherentwith current practice, whilst others are either inconsistent, unclear or even counter toestablished teaching views. In short, the implications for teachers are, at best, suboptimal.Accordingly, this paper aims to explore the differences in theoretical perspectives and thence,to propose that there is a need for multiple approaches, possibly used in combination. Wehope to offer clearer guidance for practitioners and provide some direction to promote betterapplication from researchers

Using Incremental Rehearsal for Subtraction Fact Fluency Among Elementary Students with Mathematics Difficulties

Students with or at-risk of learning disabilities in mathematics often experience working memory deficits that interfere with long-term retention of facts. Fact fluency reduces the cognitive demand on working memory to allow allocation of cognitive resources for processing more complex tasks. The current study used a single-case, multiple-baseline design to investigate the effectiveness of incremental rehearsal, an evidence-based drill-and-practice strategy, in improving subtraction fact fluency among elementary students with mathematics difficulties. Participants (N = 4) were three third-grade students and one fourth-grade student either with a formal diagnosis of learning disabilities in mathematics or low performing in mathematics without an identified disability. Additionally, all participants had difficulty recalling subtraction facts fluently. Treatment involved repeated practice (unknown) target facts using flashcards with a high percentage of interspersed fluent facts, while sequentially increasing the interval between the presentation of target facts. The same set of three target facts and six fluent facts was practiced in two consecutive sessions using a ratio of one target fact to six fluent facts. Timed math probes were administered at the end of two consecutive practice sessions and were used to assess subtraction fact fluency across treatment sessions. Visual analysis and effect size calculations of student performance on timed probes revealed that incremental rehearsal was highly effective (Tau-U = 1.0) in improving subtraction fact fluency for the two participants who received treatment. Unfortunately, because of the sudden school closure due to the impact of COVID-19, this study was discontinued before introducing the intervention to the other two participants. Also, a posttest to examine fluency gains for specific facts and the social validity assessment to measure student acceptability could not be conducted. Although findings from this study provided evidence that IR is a promising strategy, results are tentative. Future research should include a direct replication of the current study. Implications for practice and additional research are discussed

Remembering out-of-context: a developmental perspective.

Contextual influences on memory retrieval are of theoretical and e~pirical importance in infant memory research. Early in infancy, memory is strongly constrained by contextual congruency at encoding and retrieval. Contextual constraints appear to progressively loosen over the infancy period (Hayne, 2004), but little is known about the nature and extent of this change. The present studies revealed that age-related decreases in contextual constraints on memory retrieval extend to both physical and social context, and to recall and recognition memory (Experiments 1-4). Specifically, for 9-month-olds both recognition and recall memory were less affected by a change of social context than for 6-month- . olds, and for 12-month-olds, recognition memory was less influenced by a change of global physical context than for 6-month-olds. At 12-months, memory retrieval appeared to be particularly constrained by intrinsic contextual details, a constraint that was robust across procedural variations that alleviate context-shift effects in other age-groups (Experiment 5). Nonetheless, providing infants with a unique environment for learning and retrieval helped them to retrieve memory across an intrinsic contextual change, indicating that extrinsic context may perform a disambiguating function later in infancy (Experiment 6). Finally, Experiments 7 to 9 used an EEG study to explore the processes underlying contextual influences on memory retrieval with adults. A change ofioom selectively impaired the purported neural correlates ofrecollective-based recognition memory, indicating that investigating the development ofrecollection in infancy may be an important step towards understanding contextual influences on memory in development. Taken together, these studies show that sirililar contextual features are encoded in memory from infancy to adulthood. Contextual details exert progressively less influence over memory retrieval over the first year of life, likely through a combination ofboth the maturation ofbrain regions involved in memory, and experience oflearning and remembering in a variety of settings

Age differences in memory retrieval shift: Governed by feeling-of-knowing?

The noun-pair lookup (NP) task was used to evaluate strategic shift from visual scanning to retrieval. We investigated whether age differences in feeling-of-knowing (FOK) account for older adults' delayed retrieval shift. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (1) standard NP learning, (2) fast binary FOK judgments, or (3) Choice, where participants had to choose in advance whether to see the look-up table or respond from memory. We found small age differences in FOK magnitudes but major age differences in memory retrieval choices that mirrored retrieval use in the standard NP task. Older adults showed lower resolution in their confidence judgments (CJs) for recognition memory tests on the NP items, and this difference appeared to influence rates of retrieval shift, given that retrieval use was correlated with CJ magnitudes in both age groups. Older adults had particular difficulty with accuracy and confidence for rearranged pairs, relative to intact pairs. Older adults' slowed retrieval shift appears to be attributable to (1) impaired associative learning early in practice, not just a lower FOK; but also (2) retrieval reluctance later in practice after the degree of associative learning would afford memory-based responding