Peer-Assisted Robotic Learning: A Data-Driven Collaborative Learning Approach for Cloud Robotic Systems

A technological revolution is occurring in the field of robotics with the data-driven deep learning technology. However, building datasets for each local robot is laborious. Meanwhile, data islands between local robots make data unable to be utilized collaboratively. To address this issue, the work presents Peer-Assisted Robotic Learning (PARL) in robotics, which is inspired by the peer-assisted learning in cognitive psychology and pedagogy. PARL implements data collaboration with the framework of cloud robotic systems. Both data and models are shared by robots to the cloud after semantic computing and training locally. The cloud converges the data and performs augmentation, integration, and transferring. Finally, fine tune this larger shared dataset in the cloud to local robots. Furthermore, we propose the DAT Network (Data Augmentation and Transferring Network) to implement the data processing in PARL. DAT Network can realize the augmentation of data from multi-local robots. We conduct experiments on a simplified self-driving task for robots (cars). DAT Network has a significant improvement in the augmentation in self-driving scenarios. Along with this, the self-driving experimental results also demonstrate that PARL is capable of improving learning effects with data collaboration of local robots.

Synchronization Clustering based on a Linearized Version of Vicsek model

This paper presents a kind of effective synchronization clustering method based on a linearized version of Vicsek model. This method can be represented by an Effective Synchronization Clustering algorithm (ESynC), an Improved version of ESynC algorithm (IESynC), a Shrinking Synchronization Clustering algorithm based on another linear Vicsek model (SSynC), and an effective Multi-level Synchronization Clustering algorithm (MSynC). After some analysis and comparisions, we find that ESynC algorithm based on the Linearized version of the Vicsek model has better synchronization effect than SynC algorithm based on an extensive Kuramoto model and a similar synchronization clustering algorithm based on the original Vicsek model. By simulated experiments of some artificial data sets, we observe that ESynC algorithm, IESynC algorithm, and SSynC algorithm can get better synchronization effect although it needs less iterative times and less time than SynC algorithm. In some simulations, we also observe that IESynC algorithm and SSynC algorithm can get some improvements in time cost than ESynC algorithm. At last, it gives some research expectations to popularize this algorithm.

A Fast Synchronization Clustering Algorithm

This paper presents a Fast Synchronization Clustering algorithm (FSynC), which is an improved version of SynC algorithm. In order to decrease the time complexity of the original SynC algorithm, we combine grid cell partitioning method and Red-Black tree to construct the near neighbor point set of every point. By simulated experiments of some artificial data sets and several real data sets, we observe that FSynC algorithm can often get less time than SynC algorithm for many kinds of data sets. At last, it gives some research expectations to popularize this algorithm.