Plan-Seq-Learn: Language Model Guided RL for Solving Long Horizon Robotics Tasks

Abstract

Large Language Models (LLMs) are highly capable of performing planning for long-horizon robotics tasks, yet existing methods require access to a pre-defined skill library (e.g. picking, placing, pulling, pushing, navigating). However, LLM planning does not address how to design or learn those behaviors, which remains challenging particularly in long-horizon settings. Furthermore, for many tasks of interest, the robot needs to be able to adjust its behavior in a fine-grained manner, requiring the agent to be capable of modifying low-level control actions. Can we instead use the internet-scale knowledge from LLMs for high-level policies, guiding reinforcement learning (RL) policies to efficiently solve robotic control tasks online without requiring a pre-determined set of skills? In this paper, we propose Plan-Seq-Learn (PSL): a modular approach that uses motion planning to bridge the gap between abstract language and learned low-level control for solving long-horizon robotics tasks from scratch. We demonstrate that PSL is capable of solving 20+ challenging single and multi-stage robotics tasks on four benchmarks at success rates of over 80% from raw visual input, out-performing language-based, classical, and end-to-end approaches.

Plan-Seq-Learn

Image description

PSL decomposes tasks into a list of regions and stage termination conditions using an LLM (top), sequences the plan using motion planning (left) and learns control policies using RL (right).


PSL solves contact-rich, long-horizon manipulation tasks

RS-NutRound: 98%

RS-NutSquare: 97%

RS-NutAssembly: 96%

PSL enables visuomotor policies to learn pick-and-place behaviors with 4 stages

RS-CanBread: 90%

RS-CerealMilk: 85%

PSL efficiently solves tasks with obstructions by leveraging motion planning

OS-Push: 100%

OS-Lift: 100%

OS-Assembly: 100%



PSL solves long-horizon kitchen manipulation tasks with up to 5 stages.

K-Multistage-3: 100%

K-Multistage-4: 67%

K-Multistage-5: 67%

Extensive Emprical Evaluation

PSL solves 20+ long-horizon robotics tasks across four benchmark environment suites with greater than 80% success rates