Robust Evolutionary Multi-Objective Network Architecture Search for Reinforcement Learning (EMNAS-RL)

This paper introduces Evolutionary Multi-Objective Network Architecture Search (EMNAS) for the first time to optimize neural network architectures in large-scale Reinforcement Learning (RL) for Autonomous Driving (AD). EMNAS uses genetic algorithms to automate network design, tailored to enhance rewards and reduce model size without compromising performance. Additionally, parallelization techniques are employed to accelerate the search, and teacher-student methodologies are implemented to ensure scalable optimization. This research underscores the potential of transfer learning as a robust framework for optimizing performance across iterative learning processes by effectively leveraging knowledge from earlier generations to enhance learning efficiency and stability in subsequent generations. Experimental results demonstrate that tailored EMNAS outperforms manually designed models, achieving higher rewards with fewer parameters. The findings of these strategies contribute positively to EMNAS for RL in autonomous driving, advancing the field toward better-performing networks suitable for real-world scenarios.

Hyperparameter Optimization for Driving Strategies Based on Reinforcement Learning

This paper focuses on hyperparameter optimization for autonomous driving strategies based on Reinforcement Learning. We provide a detailed description of training the RL agent in a simulation environment. Subsequently, we employ Efficient Global Optimization algorithm that uses Gaussian Process fitting for hyperparameter optimization in RL. Before this optimization phase, Gaussian process interpolation is applied to fit the surrogate model, for which the hyperparameter set is generated using Latin hypercube sampling. To accelerate the evaluation, parallelization techniques are employed. Following the hyperparameter optimization procedure, a set of hyperparameters is identified, resulting in a noteworthy enhancement in overall driving performance. There is a substantial increase of 4\% when compared to existing manually tuned parameters and the hyperparameters discovered during the initialization process using Latin hypercube sampling. After the optimization, we analyze the obtained results thoroughly and conduct a sensitivity analysis to assess the robustness and generalization capabilities of the learned autonomous driving strategies. The findings from this study contribute to the advancement of Gaussian process based Bayesian optimization to optimize the hyperparameters for autonomous driving in RL, providing valuable insights for the development of efficient and reliable autonomous driving systems.