Automatic Encoding and Repair of Reactive High-Level Tasks with Learned Abstract Representations

Abstract

We present a framework for the automatic encoding and repair of high-level tasks. Given a set of skills a robot can perform, our approach first abstracts sensor data into symbols and then automatically encodes the robot’s capabilities in Linear Temporal Logic (LTL). Using this encoding, a user can specify reactive high-level tasks, for which we can automatically synthesize a strategy that executes on the robot, if the task is feasible. If a task is not feasible given the robot’s capabilities, we present two methods, one enumeration-based and one synthesis-based, for automatically suggesting additional skills for the robot or modifications to existing skills that would make the task feasible. We demonstrate our framework on a Baxter robot manipulating blocks on a table, a Baxter robot manipulating plates on a table, and a Kinova arm manipulating vials, with multiple sensor modalities, including raw images.

Publication
The International Journal of Robotics Research
Steven James
Steven James
Deputy Lab Director

My research interests include reinforcement learning and planning.