Babič J, Kunavar T, Oztop E, Kawato M. Success-efficient/failure-safe strategy for hierarchical reinforcement motor learning.
PLoS Comput Biol 2025;
21:e1013089. [PMID:
40344154 PMCID:
PMC12121909 DOI:
10.1371/journal.pcbi.1013089]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2024] [Revised: 05/29/2025] [Accepted: 04/23/2025] [Indexed: 05/11/2025] Open
Abstract
Our study explores how ecological aspects of motor learning enhance survival by improving movement efficiency and mitigating injury risks during task failures. Traditional motor control theories mainly address isolated body movements and often overlook these ecological factors. We introduce a novel computational motor control approach, incorporating ecological fitness and a strategy that alternates between success-driven movement efficiency and failure-driven safety, akin to win-stay/lose-shift tactics. In our experiments, participants performed squat-to-stand movements under novel force perturbations. They adapted effectively through various adaptive motor control mechanisms to avoid falls, reducing failure rates rapidly. The results indicate a high-level ecological controller in human motor learning that switches objectives between safety and movement efficiency, depending on failure or success. This approach is supported by policy learning, internal model adaptation, and adaptive feedback control. Our findings offer a comprehensive perspective on human motor control, integrating risk management in a hierarchical reinforcement learning framework for real-world environments.
Collapse