  We tested the performance of reservoir computing (RC) in predicting the
dynamics of a certain non-autonomous dynamical system. Specifically, we
considered a van del Pol oscillator subjected to periodic external force with
frequent phase shifts. The reservoir computer, which was trained and optimized
with simulation data generated for a particular phase shift, was designed to
predict the oscillation dynamics under periodic external forces with different
phase shifts. The results suggest that if the training data have some
complexity, it is possible to quantitatively predict the oscillation dynamics
exposed to different phase shifts. The setting of this study was motivated by
the problem of predicting the state of the circadian rhythm of shift workers
and designing a better shift work schedule for each individual. Our results
suggest that RC could be exploited for such applications.
