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RL Control of Exercise-Strengthened Biohybrid Robots in Simulation (arxiv.org)
2 points by PaulHoule 313 days ago | hide | past | pdf | 1 comment on HN

In plain words: A trial-and-error learning controller steers a simulated worm-like robot by coordinating 42 living-muscle actuators, while tracking how each muscle grows stronger with use. Controllers that account for this strengthening reached higher rewards and trained faster than ones assuming muscles stay at fixed strength.

Abstract · Hitting the Gym: Reinforcement Learning Control of Exercise-Strengthened Biohybrid Robots in Simulation

Animals can accomplish many incredible behavioral feats across a wide range of operational environments and scales that current robots struggle to match. One explanation for this performance gap is the extraordinary properties of the biological materials that comprise animals, such as muscle tissue. Using living muscle tissue as an actuator can endow robotic systems with highly desirable properties such as self-healing, compliance, and biocompatibility. Unlike traditional soft robotic actuators, living muscle biohybrid actuators exhibit unique adaptability, growing stronger with use. The dependency of a muscle's force output on its use history endows muscular organisms the ability to dynamically adapt to their environment, getting better at tasks over time. While muscle adaptability is a benefit to muscular organisms, it currently presents a challenge for biohybrid researchers: how does one design and control a robot whose actuators' force output changes over time? Here, we incorporate muscle adaptability into a many-muscle biohybrid robot design and modeling tool, leveraging reinforcement learning as both a co-design partner and system controller. As a controller, our learning agents coordinated the independent contraction of 42 muscles distributed on a lattice worm structure to successfully steer it towards eight distinct targets while incorporating muscle adaptability. As a co-design tool, our agents enable users to identify which muscles are important to accomplishing a given task. Our results show that adaptive agents outperform non-adaptive agents in terms of maximum rewards and training time. Together, these contributions can both enable the elucidation of muscle actuator adaptation and inform the design and modeling of adaptive, performant, many-muscle robots.

Saul Schaffer, Hima Hrithik Pamu, Victoria A. Webster-Wood
arXiv:2408.16069 · cs.RO · submitted Aug 28, 2024
abstract · pdf · html · 11 pages, 6 figures

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Hi Paul Houle,

I run a media company in Vancouver Canada would you be willing to hop on a google meet or zoom and discuss AI research? you can contact me [email protected]