Several recent works show impressive results in mapping language-based human commands and image scene observations to direct robot executable policies (e.g., pick and place poses). However, these approaches do not consider the uncertainty of the trained policy and simply always execute actions that are suggested by the current policy as the most probable ones. This makes them vulnerable to domain shift and inefficient in the number of required demonstrations. We extend previous works and present the PARTNR algorithm that can detect ambiguities in the trained policy by analyzing multiple modes in the probability distributio of pick and place poses using topological analysis. In this way uncertainty in action can be estimated with single inference (and training single model) instead of using ensemble of models. Additionally, PARTNR employs an adaptive, sensitivity-based, gating function that decides if additional user demonstrations are required. User demonstrations are aggregated to the dataset and used for subsequent training. In this way, the policy can adapt promptly to domain shift and it can minimize the number of required demonstrations for a well-trained policy. The adaptive threshold enables to achieve the user-acceptable level of ambiguity to execute the policy autonomously and in turn, increase the trustworthiness of our system. We demonstrate the performance of PARTNR in a table-top pick and place task.

Human teaching effort is a significant bottleneck for the broader applicability of interactive imitation learning. To reduce the number of required queries, existing methods employ active learning to query the human teacher only in uncertain, risky, or novel situations. However, during these queries, the novice’s planned actions are not utilized despite containing valuable information, such as the novice’s capabilities, as well as corresponding uncertainty levels. To this end, we allow the novice to say: “I plan to do this, but I am uncertain.” We introduce the Active Skill-level Data Aggregation (ASkDAgger) framework, which leverages teacher feedback on the novice plan in three key ways: (1) S-Aware Gating (SAG): Adjusts the gating threshold to track sensitivity, specificity, or a minimum success rate; (2) Foresight Interactive Experience Replay (FIER), which recasts valid and relabeled novice action plans into demonstrations; and (3) Prioritized Interactive Experience Replay (PIER), which prioritizes replay based on uncertainty, novice success, and demonstration age. Together, these components balance query frequency with failure incidence, reduce the number of required demonstration annotations, improve generalization, and speed up adaptation to changing domains. We validate the effectiveness of ASkDAgger through language-conditioned manipulation tasks in both simulation and real-world environments. Code, data, and videos are available at https://askdagger.github.io.

To achieve optimal robot behavior in dynamic scenarios we need to consider complex dynamics in a predictive manner. In the vehicle dynamics community, it is well know that to achieve time-optimal driving on low friction surface, the vehicle should utilize drifting. Hence, many authors have devised rules to split circuits and employ drifting on some segments. These rules are suboptimal and do not generalize to arbitrary circuit shapes (e.g., S-like curves). So, the question “When to go into which mode and how to drive in it?” remains unanswered. To choose the suitable mode (discrete decision), the algorithm needs information about the feasibility of different modes (continuous motion). This makes it a class of Task and Motion Planning (TAMP) problems, which are known to be hard to solve optimally in real-time. In the AI planning community, search methods are commonly used. However, they cannot be directly applied to TAMP problems due to the continuous component. Here, we present a search-based method that effectively solves this problem and efficiently searches in a highly dimensional state space with nonlinear and unstable dynamics. The space of the possible trajectories is explored by sampling different combinations of motion primitives guided by the search. Our approach allows to use multiple locally approximated models to generate motion primitives (e.g., learned models of drifting) and effectively simplify the problem without losing accuracy. The algorithm performance is evaluated in simulated driving on a mixed-track with segments of different curvatures (right and left). Our code is available at https://git.io/JenvB.

Intelligent manufacturing is becoming increasingly important due to the growing demand for maximizing productivity and flexibility while minimizing waste and lead times. This work investigates automated secondary robotic food packaging solutions that transfer food products from the conveyor belt into containers. A major problem in these solutions is varying product supply which can cause drastic productivity drops. Conventional rule-based approaches, used to address this issue, are often inadequate, leading to violation of the industry's requirements. Reinforcement learning, on the other hand, has the potential of solving this problem by learning responsive and predictive policy, based on experience. However, it is challenging to utilize it in highly complex control schemes. In this paper, we propose a reinforcement learning framework, designed to optimize the conveyor belt speed while minimizing interference with the rest of the control system. When tested on real-world data, the framework exceeds the performance requirements (99.8% packed products) and maintains quality (100% filled boxes). Compared to the existing solution, our proposed framework improves productivity, has smoother control, and reduces computation time.

This paper presents a framework for fast and robust motion planning designed to facilitate automated driving. The framework allows for real-time computation even for horizons of several hundred meters and thus enabling automated driving in urban conditions. This is achieved through several features. Firstly, a convenient geometrical representation of both the search space and driving constraints enables the use of classical path planning approach. Thus, a wide variety of constraints can be tackled simultaneously (other vehicles, traffic lights, etc.). Secondly, an exact cost-to-go map, obtained by solving a relaxed problem, is then used by A∗-based algorithm with model predictive flavour in order to compute the optimal motion trajectory. The algorithm takes into account both distance and time horizons. The approach is validated within a simulation study with realistic traffic scenarios. We demonstrate the capability of the algorithm to devise plans both in fast and slow driving conditions, even when full stop is required.