arXiv Machine Learning

Learning Goal-Reaching Quasimetric Geometry From Finite-Time Reachability

The paper introduces ReQRL, a method for learning quasimetric geometry in goal-conditioned reinforcement learning by constraining the critic’s value gradients with finite-horizon reachability. It decouples dynamical reachability from boundary geometry, estimating both from data using state-constrained optimal control principles. Experiments on OGBench show that ReQRL matches or surpasses existing quasimetric and offline GCRL approaches.

arXiv Machine Learning
Sep 24

Limiting-Kernel Q($\lambda$): Bridging Short and Long Horizons

Limiting‑Kernel Q(λ) (LKQL) is an off‑policy value estimator that blends n‑step truncation with a long‑horizon approximation based on the limiting kernel. It maintains the computational efficiency of n‑step methods while improving policy evaluation accuracy, especially for long‑horizon tasks. The authors prove faster convergence of LKQL’s operator under aperiodicity and near‑on‑policy conditions, and demonstrate empirical gains on MuJoCo continuous‑control benchmarks.

By Tolga Ok, Arman Sharifi Kolarijani, Peyman Mohajerin Esfahani, Mohamad Amin Sharifi Kolarijani
arXiv AI
Sep 10

SUN: Reaching for Novelty in Reinforcement Learning

The paper introduces SUN, a reachability-aware goal-selection framework for reinforcement learning that integrates novelty and reachability using successor value functions. SUN provides theoretical guarantees, including recovery of count-based bonuses, bounds on short-horizon hitting probabilities, and rejection of unreachable goals. Empirical results show SUN consistently outperforms state-of-the-art methods across diverse environments with unreachable or hard-to-reach states, irreversible transitions, obstacles, mazes, and unbounded spaces.

By Wenyan Yang, Arsenii Mustafin, Dominik Baumann, Joni Pajarinen, Simone Parisi
arXiv AI
Jun 4

Dual Advantage Fields

arXiv:2606. 04188v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: Offline goal-conditioned reinforcement learning requires both long-horizon reachability estimates and local action comparisons.

By Alexey Zemtsov, Maxim Bobrin, Alexander Nikulin, Dmitry V. Dylov, Fakhri Karray, Vladislav Kurenkov, Martin Tak\'a\v{c}, Arip Asadulaev
arXiv AI
2d ago

Q-Learning for Reachability in MEC-Free MDPs

The paper introduces Quasar, a model‑free Q‑learning algorithm that guarantees asymptotic convergence for reachability objectives in Markov Decision Processes that are free of non‑terminal maximal end components (MECs). Unlike prior model‑based methods, Quasar does not estimate transition probabilities, reducing memory usage from O(|S|²|A|) to O(|S||A|). Experiments on the Quantitative Verification Benchmark Set show that Quasar converges to optimal policies with far fewer samples than existing state‑of‑the‑art model‑based approaches.

By Lu-Chin Chang, Suguman Bansal
arXiv AI
2d ago

Learning Multiple Timescales for Goal-Conditioned Reinforcement Learning

The paper introduces Generalized Implicit Temporal Abstraction (GITA), a method for goal-conditioned reinforcement learning that conditions a single value function on multiple temporal abstraction levels (k). By aggregating advantage-weighted supervision across various k values, GITA preserves both long-range signal and local resolution without committing to a single k. Experiments on OGBench show that GITA outperforms existing offline GCRL baselines, improving average success rates by 25 percentage points over HIQL and 7 percentage points over OTA.

By Pedro Robles Dutenhefner, Dikshant Shehmar, Wagner Meira Jr., Marlos C. Machado