Investigating the Impact of Curriculum Learning on Reinforcement Learning for Improved Navigational Capabilities in Mobile Robots

Abstract

This paper proposes a method for finding the shortest path of a mobile robot using deep reinforcement learning with utilizing Proximal policy optimization algorithm (PPO) enhanced with curriculum learning. By modelling the environment in 3D space using the Webots simulator, we extend the PPO algorithm's capabilities to handle continuous states from 8 IR sensors and control the velocities of two motors of E-puck robot. Our study uniquely integrates curriculum learning into the PPO framework, aiming to improve adaptability and training efficiency in complex environments. A comparative analysis is conducted between the modified PPO, the original PPO, and the deep deterministic policy gradient algorithm, highlighting the strengths of our approach The results demonstrate that our curriculum-augmented PPO algorithm not only accelerates the training process but also shows superior adaptability and generalization in new environments. This work underscores the significant potential of curriculum learning in enhancing the performance of deep reinforcement learning algorithms for robust and efficient robotic navigation.