A Neuro-Inspired Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning for Motor Control

Designing controllers to achieve natural motion capabilities for multi-joint robots is a significant challenge. However, animals in nature are naturally with basic motor abilities and can master various complex motor skills through acquired learning. On the basis of analyzing the mechanism of the central motor system in mammals, we propose a neuro-inspired hierarchical reinforcement learning algorithm that enables robots to learn rich motor skills and apply them to complex task environments without relying on external data. We first design a skills network similar to the cerebellum by utilizing the selection mechanism of voluntary movements in the basal ganglia and the regulatory ability of the cerebellum to regulate movement. Subsequently, by imitating the structure of advanced centers in the motion system, we propose a high-level policy to generate different skill combinations, thereby enabling the robot to acquire natural motor abilities. We conduct experiments on 4 types of robots and 22 task environments, and the results show that the proposed method can enable different types of robots to achieve flexible motion skills. Overall, our research provides a promising framework for the design of robotic neural motor controllers.