Robust Task-based Control Policies for Physics-based Characters

Abstract

We present a method for precomputing robust task-based control policies for physically simulated characters. This allows for characters that can demonstrate skill and purpose in completing a given task, such as walking to a target location, while physically interacting with the environment in significant ways. As input, the method assumes an abstract action vocabulary consisting of balance-aware, step-based controllers. A novel constrained state exploration phase is first used to define a character dynamics model as well as a finite volume of character states over which the control policy will be defined. An optimized control policy is then computed using reinforcement learning. The final policy spans the cross-product of the character state and task state, and is more robust than the conrollers it is constructed from. We demonstrate real-time results for six locomotion-based tasks and on three highly-varied bipedal characters. We further provide a game-scenario demonstration.