Boosting Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning with Meta-Learning for Complex Task Adaptation

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Khajooeinejad, Arash, Masoumi, Fatemeh Sadat, Chapariniya, Masoumeh
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Khajooeinejad, Arash
Masoumi, Fatemeh Sadat
Chapariniya, Masoumeh
author_facet Khajooeinejad, Arash
Masoumi, Fatemeh Sadat
Chapariniya, Masoumeh
contents Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning (HRL) is well-suitedd for solving complex tasks by breaking them down into structured policies. However, HRL agents often struggle with efficient exploration and quick adaptation. To overcome these limitations, we propose integrating meta-learning into HRL to enable agents to learn and adapt hierarchical policies more effectively. Our method leverages meta-learning to facilitate rapid task adaptation using prior experience, while intrinsic motivation mechanisms drive efficient exploration by rewarding the discovery of novel states. Specifically, our agent employs a high-level policy to choose among multiple low-level policies within custom-designed grid environments. By incorporating gradient-based meta-learning with differentiable inner-loop updates, we optimize performance across a curriculum of progressively challenging tasks. Experimental results highlight that our metalearning-enhanced hierarchical agent significantly outperforms standard HRL approaches lacking meta-learning and intrinsic motivation. The agent demonstrates faster learning, greater cumulative rewards, and higher success rates in complex grid-based scenarios. These Findings underscore the effectiveness of combining meta-learning, curriculum learning, and intrinsic motivation to enhance the capability of HRL agents in tackling complex tasks.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2410_07921
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Boosting Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning with Meta-Learning for Complex Task Adaptation
Khajooeinejad, Arash
Masoumi, Fatemeh Sadat
Chapariniya, Masoumeh
Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence
Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning (HRL) is well-suitedd for solving complex tasks by breaking them down into structured policies. However, HRL agents often struggle with efficient exploration and quick adaptation. To overcome these limitations, we propose integrating meta-learning into HRL to enable agents to learn and adapt hierarchical policies more effectively. Our method leverages meta-learning to facilitate rapid task adaptation using prior experience, while intrinsic motivation mechanisms drive efficient exploration by rewarding the discovery of novel states. Specifically, our agent employs a high-level policy to choose among multiple low-level policies within custom-designed grid environments. By incorporating gradient-based meta-learning with differentiable inner-loop updates, we optimize performance across a curriculum of progressively challenging tasks. Experimental results highlight that our metalearning-enhanced hierarchical agent significantly outperforms standard HRL approaches lacking meta-learning and intrinsic motivation. The agent demonstrates faster learning, greater cumulative rewards, and higher success rates in complex grid-based scenarios. These Findings underscore the effectiveness of combining meta-learning, curriculum learning, and intrinsic motivation to enhance the capability of HRL agents in tackling complex tasks.
title Boosting Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning with Meta-Learning for Complex Task Adaptation
topic Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.07921