Adaptive, imitative navigational assistance

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer program products for adaptive, imitation learning and applications to navigational assistance are disclosed. The inventive concepts include: generating a navigational assistance trajectory through a physical environment in response to receiving a request for navigational assistance through the physical environment; and transmitting navigation instructions to a mobile device. The navigation instructions are based at least in part on the navigational assistance trajectory. A user receiving the navigational assistance trajectory and auditory instructions may advantageously navigate through the complex, dynamic physical environment without relying on visual cues.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method for adaptive imitation learning and navigational assistance, comprising:
 generating a navigational assistance trajectory through a physical environment in response to receiving a request for navigational assistance through the physical environment; and   transmitting navigation instructions to a mobile device for output of the navigation instructions to a user of the mobile device, wherein the navigation instructions are based at least in part on the navigational assistance trajectory.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the navigation instructions comprise auditory instructions. 
     
     
         3 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the navigational assistance trajectory is based on some or all of a plurality of trajectories, each of the plurality of trajectories independently describing a path through at least a portion of the physical environment. 
     
     
         4 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 3 , wherein the plurality of trajectories are received over a period of time, and wherein the navigational assistance trajectory reflects a most recent physical state of the physical environment. 
     
     
         5 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 3 , wherein the plurality of trajectories are generated by a monitoring system observing one or more experts navigating through the physical environment. 
     
     
         6 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the navigational assistance trajectory is generated using a deep neural network-based imitation learning algorithm. 
     
     
         7 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the navigational assistance trajectory comprises a sequence of state/action pairs;
 wherein each state corresponds to a location in the physical environment; and   wherein each action corresponds to a movement from a current state to a next state in the sequence of state/action pairs.   
     
     
         8 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 7 , wherein the states are represented by an n-dimensional observation space;
 wherein the actions are represented by an m-dimensional action space;   wherein at least some of the observation space dimensions are continuous and at least some other of the observation space dimensions are discrete; and   wherein at least some of the action space dimensions are continuous and at least some other of the action space dimensions are discrete.   
     
     
         9 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining whether the mobile device is compliant with the navigational assistance trajectory;   in response to determining the mobile device is non-compliant with the navigational assistance trajectory, generating a new navigational assistance trajectory through the physical environment; and   wherein the new navigational assistance trajectory is based at least in part on:
 at least one of a plurality of trajectories, each trajectory independently describing a path through at least a portion of the physical environment; and 
 a position of the mobile device at a time of determining the mobile device is non-compliant with the navigational assistance trajectory. 
   
     
     
         10 . A computer program product for adaptive, imitative navigational assistance, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, wherein the computer readable storage medium is not a transitory signal per se, the program instructions executable by a processor, to cause the processor to perform a method comprising:
 generating, using the processor, a navigational assistance trajectory through a physical environment in response to receiving a request for navigational assistance through the physical environment; and   transmitting navigation instructions to a mobile device for output of the navigation instructions to a user of the mobile device, wherein the navigation instructions are based at least in part on the navigational assistance trajectory.   
     
     
         11 . The computer program product of  claim 10 , wherein the navigation instructions comprise auditory instructions. 
     
     
         12 . The computer program product of  claim 10 , wherein the navigational assistance trajectory is based on some or all of a plurality of trajectories, each of the plurality of trajectories independently describing a path through at least a portion of the physical environment. 
     
     
         13 . The computer program product of  claim 12 , wherein the plurality of trajectories are received over a period of time, and wherein the navigational assistance trajectory reflects a most recent physical state of the physical environment. 
     
     
         14 . The computer program product of  claim 12 , wherein the plurality of trajectories are generated by the processor using a monitoring system observing one or more experts navigating through the physical environment. 
     
     
         15 . The computer program product of  claim 10 , wherein the navigational assistance trajectory is generated by the processor using a deep neural network-based imitation learning algorithm. 
     
     
         16 . The computer program product of  claim 10 , wherein the navigational assistance trajectory comprises a sequence of state/action pairs;
 wherein each state corresponds to a location in the physical environment; and   wherein each action corresponds to a movement from a current state to a next state in the sequence of state/action pairs.   
     
     
         17 . The computer program product of  claim 16 , wherein the states are represented by an n-dimensional observation space;
 wherein the actions are represented by an m-dimensional action space;   wherein at least some of the observation space dimensions are continuous and at least some other of the observation space dimensions are discrete; and   wherein at least some of the action space dimensions are continuous and at least some other of the action space dimensions are discrete.   
     
     
         18 . The computer program product of  claim 10 , the method further comprising:
 determining, using the processor, whether the mobile device is compliant with the navigational assistance trajectory;   in response to determining the mobile device is non-compliant with the navigational assistance trajectory, generating, using the processor, a new navigational assistance trajectory through the physical environment; and   wherein the new navigational assistance trajectory is based at least in part on:
 at least one of a plurality of trajectories, each trajectory independently describing a path through at least a portion of the physical environment; and 
 a position of the mobile device at a time of determining the mobile device is non-compliant with the navigational assistance trajectory. 
   
     
     
         19 . A system for adaptive, imitative navigational assistance, comprising:
 a processor; and   logic integrated with the processor, executable by the processor, or integrated with and executable by the processor, the logic being configured to:   generate a navigational assistance trajectory through a physical environment in response to receiving a request for navigational assistance through the physical environment; and   transmit navigation instructions to a mobile device for output of the navigation instructions to a user of the mobile device, wherein the navigation instructions are based at least in part on the navigational assistance trajectory.   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein all data transmitted to the mobile device excludes any form of optical data, image data, and video data.