Train a Real-world Local Path Planner in One Hour via Partially Decoupled Reinforcement Learning and Vectorized Diversity

Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) has exhibited efficacy in resolving the Local Path Planning (LPP) problem. However, such application in the real world is immensely limited due to the deficient efficiency and generalization capability of DRL. To alleviate these two issues, a solution named Color is proposed, which consists of an Actor-Sharer-Learner (ASL) training framework and a mobile robot-oriented simulator Sparrow. Specifically, the ASL framework, intending to improve the efficiency of the DRL algorithm, employs a Vectorized Data Collection (VDC) mode to expedite data acquisition, decouples the data collection from model optimization by multithreading, and partially connects the two procedures by harnessing a Time Feedback Mechanism (TFM) to evade data underuse or overuse. Meanwhile, the Sparrow simulator utilizes a 2D grid-based world, simplified kinematics, and conversion-free data flow to achieve a lightweight design. The lightness facilitates vectorized diversity, allowing diversified simulation setups across extensive copies of the vectorized environments, resulting in a notable enhancement in the generalization capability of the DRL algorithm being trained. Comprehensive experiments, comprising 57 benchmark video games, 32 simulated and 36 real-world LPP scenarios, have been conducted to corroborate the superiority of our method in terms of efficiency and generalization. The code and the video of the experiments can be accessed on our website.