Google Inc.

X Development LLC

Seyed Mohammad Khansari Zadeh

Yunfei Bai

Mrinal Kalakrishnan

Daniel Kappler

Sergey Levine

Eric Jang

Honglak Lee

Paul Wohlhart

Soeren Pirk

Chelsea Finn

Jasmine Hsu

Xinchen Yan

Abhinav Gupta

Daniel Alex Lam

Matthew Bennice

Brent Austin

James Christopher Davidson

Alexander Irpan

Arkanath Pathak

Nicolas Sievers

Jeffrey Bingham

Alexander Toshev

Pierre Sermanet

Alexander Herzog

Harrison Lynch

Jianlan Luo

Yuanzheng Gong

Karol Hausman

Allan Zhou

Implementations described herein relate to training and refining robotic control policies using imitation learning techniques. A robotic control policy can be initially trained based on human demonstrations of various robotic tasks. Further, the robotic control policy can be refined based on human interventions while a robot is performing a robotic task. In some implementations, the robotic control policy may determine whether the robot will fail in performance of the robotic task, and prompt a human to intervene in performance of the robotic task. In additional or alternative implementations, a representation of the sequence of actions can be visually rendered for presentation to the human can proactively intervene in performance of the robotic task.

System(s) and method(s) of using imitation learning in training and refining robotic control policies

Training and/or using a machine learning model for performing robotic tasks is disclosed herein. In many implementations, an environment-conditioned action sequence prediction model is used to determine a set of actions as well as a corresponding particular order for the actions for the robot to perform to complete the task. In many implementations, each action in the set of actions has a corresponding action network used to control the robot in performing the action.

Determining environment-conditioned action sequences for robotic tasks

Implementations relate to training a point cloud prediction model that can be utilized to process a single-view two-and-a-half-dimensional (2.5D) observation of an object, to generate a domain-invariant three-dimensional (3D) representation of the object. Implementations additionally or alternatively relate to utilizing the domain-invariant 3D representation to train a robotic manipulation policy model using, as at least part of the input to the robotic manipulation policy model during training, the domain-invariant 3D representations of simulated objects to be manipulated. Implementations additionally or alternatively relate to utilizing the trained robotic manipulation policy model in control of a robot based on output generated by processing generated domain-invariant 3D representations utilizing the robotic manipulation policy model.

Robotic manipulation using domain-invariant 3D representations predicted from 2.5D vision data

Techniques are disclosed that enable training a meta-learning model, for use in causing a robot to perform a task, using imitation learning as well as reinforcement learning. Some implementations relate to training the meta-learning model using imitation learning based on one or more human guided demonstrations of the task. Additional or alternative implementations relate to training the meta-learning model using reinforcement learning based on trials of the robot attempting to perform the task. Further implementations relate to using the trained meta-learning model to few shot (or one shot) learn a new task based on a human guided demonstration of the new task.

Efficient adaption of robot control policy for new task using meta-learning based on meta-imitation learning and meta-reinforcement learning

Training a machine learning model (e.g., a neural network model such as a convolutional neural network (CNN) model) so that, when trained, the model can be utilized in processing vision data (e.g., from a vision component of a robot), that captures an object, to generate a rich object-centric embedding for the vision data. The generated embedding can enable differentiation of even subtle variations of attributes of the object captured by the vision data.

Training a deep neural network model to generate rich object-centric embeddings of robotic vision data

Generating a robot control policy that regulates both motion control and interaction with an environment and/or includes a learned potential function and/or dissipative field. Some implementations relate to resampling temporally distributed data points to generate spatially distributed data points, and generating the control policy using the spatially distributed data points. Some implementations additionally or alternatively relate to automatically determining a potential gradient for data points, and generating the control policy using the automatically determined potential gradient. Some implementations additionally or alternatively relate to determining and assigning a prior weight to each of the data points of multiple groups, and generating the control policy using the weights. Some implementations additionally or alternatively relate to defining and using non-uniform smoothness parameters at each data point, defining and using d parameters for stiffness and/or damping at each data point, and/or obviating the need to utilize virtual data points in generating the control policy.

Generating a robot control policy from demonstrations collected via kinesthetic teaching of a robot

Training and/or use of a machine learning model for placement of an object secured by an end effector of a robot. A trained machine learning model can be used to process: (1) a current image, captured by a vision component of a robot, that captures an end effector securing an object; (2) a candidate end effector action that defines a candidate motion of the end effector; and (3) a target placement input that indicates a target placement location for the object. Based on the processing, a prediction can be generated that indicates likelihood of successful placement of the object in the target placement location with application of the motion defined by the candidate end effector action. At many iterations, the candidate end effector action with the highest probability is selected and control commands provided to cause the end effector to move in conformance with the corresponding end effector action. When at least one release criteria is satisfied, control commands can be provided to cause the end effector to release the object, thereby leading to the object being placed in the target placement location.

Machine learning methods and apparatus for automated robotic placement of secured object in appropriate location

Generating and utilizing action image(s) that represent a candidate pose (e.g., a candidate end effector pose), in determining whether to utilize the candidate pose in performance of a robotic task. The action image(s) and corresponding current image(s) can be processed, using a trained critic network, to generate a value that indicates a probability of success of the robotic task if component(s) of the robot are traversed to the particular pose. When the value satisfies one or more conditions (e.g., satisfies a threshold), the robot can be controlled to cause the component(s) to traverse to the particular pose in performing the robotic task.

Robotic control using action image(s) and critic network

Deep machine learning methods and apparatus, some of which are related to determining a grasp outcome prediction for a candidate grasp pose of an end effector of a robot. Some implementations are directed to training and utilization of both a geometry network and a grasp outcome prediction network. The trained geometry network can be utilized to generate, based on two-dimensional or two-and-a-half-dimensional image(s), geometry output(s) that are: geometry-aware, and that represent (e.g., high-dimensionally) three-dimensional features captured by the image(s). In some implementations, the geometry output(s) include at least an encoding that is generated based on a trained encoding neural network trained to generate encodings that represent three-dimensional features (e.g., shape). The trained grasp outcome prediction network can be utilized to generate, based on applying the geometry output(s) and additional data as input(s) to the network, a grasp outcome prediction for a candidate grasp pose.

Robotic grasping prediction using neural networks and geometry aware object representation

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San Carlos, CA, United States of America

Seyed Mohammad Khansari Zadeh