  The most data-efficient algorithms for reinforcement learning (RL) in
robotics are based on uncertain dynamical models: after each episode, they
first learn a dynamical model of the robot, then they use an optimization
algorithm to find a policy that maximizes the expected return given the model
and its uncertainties. It is often believed that this optimization can be
tractable only if analytical, gradient-based algorithms are used; however,
these algorithms require using specific families of reward functions and
policies, which greatly limits the flexibility of the overall approach. In this
paper, we introduce a novel model-based RL algorithm, called Black-DROPS
(Black-box Data-efficient RObot Policy Search) that: (1) does not impose any
constraint on the reward function or the policy (they are treated as
black-boxes), (2) is as data-efficient as the state-of-the-art algorithm for
data-efficient RL in robotics, and (3) is as fast (or faster) than analytical
approaches when several cores are available. The key idea is to replace the
gradient-based optimization algorithm with a parallel, black-box algorithm that
takes into account the model uncertainties. We demonstrate the performance of
our new algorithm on two standard control benchmark problems (in simulation)
and a low-cost robotic manipulator (with a real robot).
