Graduation Year
2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
M.S.Cp.
Degree Name
MS in Computer Engineering (M.S.C.P.)
Degree Granting Department
Computer Science and Engineering
Major Professor
Alfredo Weitzenfeld, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Ankur Mali, Ph.D.
Committee Member
John Murray-Bruce, Ph.D.
Keywords
Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Options Architecture, Robotics
Abstract
Hierarchical reinforcement learning (HRL) is hypothesized to be able to take advantage of the inherent hierarchy in robot learning tasks with sparse reward schemes, in contrast to more traditional reinforcement learning algorithms. In this research, hierarchical reinforcement learning is evaluated and contrasted with standard reinforcement learning in complex navigation tasks. We evaluate unique characteristics of HRL, including their ability to create sub-goals and the termination function. We constructed experiments to test the differences between PPO and HRL, different ways of creating sub-goals, manual vs automatic sub-goal creation, and the effects of the frequency of termination on performance. These experiments highlight the advantages of HRL and how it achieves these advantages.
Scholar Commons Citation
Johnson, Brendon, "Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning (HRL) in Multi-Goal Spatial Navigation With Autonomous Mobile Robots" (2025). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/10965
