arXiv AI

Meta-RL with Bayesian Linear Task Models

The paper introduces GLiBRL, a deep Bayesian reinforcement learning framework that uses generalized linear task models with learnable nonlinear basis functions. GLiBRL performs exact, sequential Bayesian inference without variational approximations, providing closed‑form posterior updates and a marginal likelihood. The method is permutation‑invariant, compatible with both off‑ and on‑policy algorithms, and achieves the best zero‑shot performance among eight meta‑RL baselines on MuJoCo locomotion and MetaWorld manipulation tasks.

arXiv Machine Learning
Oct 15

Active Exploration in Bayesian Model-based Reinforcement Learning for Robot Manipulation

The paper presents a Bayesian deep learning approach for active exploration in model-based reinforcement learning applied to robot manipulation. By improving model calibration and actively selecting transitions that maximize information gain, the method enhances data efficiency during a preliminary exploration phase. Experiments on a realistic robotic arm simulator demonstrate that the approach achieves comparable performance to existing methods while requiring significantly fewer robot executions.

By Carlos Plou, Ana C. Murillo, Ruben Martinez-Cantin
arXiv AI
Oct 26

PrefO2O: Zero-Shot Preference-Based Reinforcement Learning via Offline-to-Online Latent Preference Transfer

PrefO2O introduces an offline-to-online latent preference transfer framework that enables zero‑shot preference‑based reinforcement learning on unseen tasks without human feedback. It learns a task‑invariant latent preference space from limited offline preference data, disentangling transferable preference structures from task‑specific variations. The method uses confidence‑weighted optimal transport to generate reliable pseudo‑preference supervision for online reward adaptation, achieving performance that matches or exceeds traditional PbRL methods trained with real human feedback across various robotic manipulation and locomotion benchmarks.

By Ruiqi Wang, Dezhong Zhao, Xuesu Xiao, Erdem Biyik, Byung-Cheol Min, Guohua Chen
arXiv Machine Learning
Oct 23

What Does It Take For A Generalist Robot Policy To Adapt Using Minimal Data?

The paper introduces a minimal‑data adaptation regime where a pretrained robot policy learns a new task from a single demonstration followed by autonomous online interaction. It shows that while zero‑shot performance is poor, one demonstration can guide the policy toward coarse task‑following, and identifies key design principles—pretrained VLA representations for sample‑efficient value learning, residual policy learning for corrective behavior, and data‑balancing to avoid exploration collapse. The proposed MiDAS method, combining few‑demonstration behavior cloning with value‑based residual learning over frozen VLA representations, significantly boosts task success on LIBERO, RoboCasa, and a bimanual YAM platform after only a few hours of online interaction.

By Shreyas Kowshik, Sreyas Venkataraman, Leo Wang, Niharika Pant, Max Simchowitz, Aviral Kumar
arXiv AI
Oct 19

Sample-Efficient Reinforcement Learning for Policy Improvement via Flow-Reversed Action Anchors

The paper introduces AnchorQ, a method that improves sample-efficient reinforcement learning for policy refinement by using flow-reversed action anchors. AnchorQ maps reference behaviors to state-conditioned latent anchors, samples local particles around these anchors, and employs value-guided sampling to explore promising refinements. Experiments on simulated and real-world manipulation tasks show that AnchorQ outperforms state-of-the-art post-training baselines, achieving a 37% higher real-world success rate and 97% greater simulated task throughput within the same interaction budget.

By Carl Qi, Weijun Dong, Xiaojie Wang, Peiyi Chen, Rahul Sajnani, Mingyuan Zhang, Amy Zhang, Jose Barreiros, Manikatan Nambi, Lillian J. Ratliff, Dylan Randle
arXiv Machine Learning
Jul 8

Supervised Reward Inference

arXiv:2502. 18447v2 Announce Type: replace Abstract: Existing approaches to reward inference typically assume that humans provide demonstrations according to specific behavior models.

By Will Schwarzer, Jordan Schneider, Philip S. Thomas, Scott Niekum