mlsanityData to 7 Oct 2026

Skills Regularized Task Decomposition for Multi-task Offline Reinforcement Learning

arXiv 2408.15593 ↗First posted 28 Aug 2024cs.LGcited by 3

On the map: Offline RL and imitation learning from data → Offline RL algorithms

Abstract (arXiv)

Reinforcement learning (RL) with diverse offline datasets can have the advantage of leveraging the relation of multiple tasks and the common skills learned across those tasks, hence allowing us to deal with real-world complex problems efficiently in a data-driven way. In offline RL where only offline data is used and online interaction with the environment is restricted, it is yet difficult to achieve the optimal policy for multiple tasks, especially when the data quality varies for the tasks. In this paper, we present a skill-based multi-task RL technique on heterogeneous datasets that are generated by behavior policies of different quality. To learn the shareable knowledge across those datasets effectively, we employ a task decomposition method for which common skills are jointly learned and used as guidance to reformulate a task in shared and achievable subtasks. In this joint learning, we use Wasserstein auto-encoder (WAE) to represent both skills and tasks on the same latent space and use the quality-weighted loss as a regularization term to induce tasks to be decomposed into subtasks that are more consistent with high-quality skills than others. To improve the performance of offline RL agents learned on the latent space, we also augment datasets with imaginary trajectories relevant to high-quality skills for each task. Through experiments, we show that our multi-task offline RL approach is robust to the mixed configurations of different-quality datasets and it outperforms other state-of-the-art algorithms for several robotic manipulation tasks and drone navigation tasks.

Key facts. Cited by 3 papers in the map (data through 7 Oct 2026). Placed in Offline RL algorithms, one of 13 directions in Offline RL and imitation learning from data. Builds on 33 of its 44 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 28 Aug 2024.

Builds on

33 of 44 references.

Closest ancestors · 5

Same direction, newest first

  1. 2021Offline Reinforcement Learning with Reverse Model-based Imagination1 Oct
  2. 2021Conservative Data Sharing for Multi-Task Offline Reinforcement Learning16 Sep
  3. 2021A Minimalist Approach to Offline Reinforcement Learning12 Jun
  4. 2021S4RL: Surprisingly Simple Self-Supervision for Offline Reinforcement Learning10 Mar
  5. 2020Conservative Q-Learning for Offline Reinforcement Learning8 Jun

Other references · 28

  1. 2015Trust Region Policy Optimizationcited by 2,503
  2. 2018Off-Policy Deep Reinforcement Learning without Explorationcited by 1,227
  3. 2020Gradient Surgery for Multi-Task Learningcited by 1,210
  4. 2019Meta-World: A Benchmark and Evaluation for Multi-Task and Meta Reinforcement Learningcited by 1,168
  5. 2019Advantage-Weighted Regression: Simple and Scalable Off-Policy Reinforcement Learningcited by 750
  6. 2017AirSim: High-Fidelity Visual and Physical Simulation for Autonomous Vehiclescited by 517
  7. 2020Multi-Task Learning with Deep Neural Networks: A Surveycited by 374
  8. 2019Efficient Off-Policy Meta-Reinforcement Learning via Probabilistic Context Variablescited by 372
  9. 2017Wasserstein Auto-Encoderscited by 371
  10. 2017One-Shot Imitation Learningcited by 232
  11. 2017Distral: Robust Multitask Reinforcement Learningcited by 231
  12. 2020Accelerating Reinforcement Learning with Learned Skill Priorscited by 220
16 more
  1. 2019VariBAD: A Very Good Method for Bayes-Adaptive Deep RL via Meta-Learningcited by 210
  2. 2016Modular Multitask Reinforcement Learning with Policy Sketchescited by 200
  3. 2021Multi-Task Reinforcement Learning with Context-based Representationscited by 169
  4. 2020Multi-Task Reinforcement Learning with Soft Modularizationcited by 138
  5. 2019Reward-Conditioned Policiescited by 101
  6. 2017Robust Imitation of Diverse Behaviorscited by 85
  7. 2019Meta reinforcement learning as task inferencecited by 75
  8. 2021Demonstration-Guided Reinforcement Learning with Learned Skillscited by 73
  9. 2013Hidden Parameter Markov Decision Processes: A Semiparametric Regression Approach for Discovering Latent Task Parametrizationscited by 68
  10. 2020Sample-Efficient Reinforcement Learning via Counterfactual-Based Data Augmentationcited by 57
  11. 2021Augmented World Models Facilitate Zero-Shot Dynamics Generalization From a Single Offline Environmentcited by 41
  12. 2016Learning to Push by Grasping: Using multiple tasks for effective learningcited by 36
  13. 2022Skill-based Meta-Reinforcement Learningcited by 36
  14. 2019Autonomous Navigation via Deep Reinforcement Learning for Resource Constraint Edge Nodes using Transfer Learningcited by 19
  15. 2016Learning Shared Representations in Multi-task Reinforcement Learningcited by 15
  16. 2019Multitask Soft Option Learningcited by 13

Built on by

Cited by year (2026 to 7 Oct)

Citing papers per year: 2025: 2; 2026: 1.

3 papers.

Similar, not cited

Close in wording, no citation either way

  1. 2024Robust Policy Learning via Offline Skill Diffusion
  2. 2024Offline Multi-task Transfer RL with Representational Penalization
  3. 2025Generalisation in Multitask Fitted Q-Iteration and Offline Q-learning
  4. 2024Ensemble Successor Representations for Task Generalization in Offline-to-Online Reinforcement Learning
  5. 2025Offline Reinforcement Learning with Discrete Diffusion Skills
  6. 2025Efficient Reinforcement Learning by Guiding World Models with Non-Curated Data
  7. 2025Beyond Shallow Behavior: Task-Efficient Value-Based Multi-Task Offline MARL via Skill Discovery
  8. 2026Learning Hierarchical Skill Policies with Offline Quality-Diversity Reinforcement Learning