tinyDSM: A Framework for Skill Modeling and Development for Resource-Constrained Millirobots — Paper

Abstract

-cross Abstract: In this study, we investigate developmental mechanisms that enable small, resource-constrained systems such as cm-sized millirobots to autonomously explore, learn, and adapt their capabilities throughout their lifespan. Reinforcement learning algorithms guide the agent's skill acquisition and adaptation through the interplay of our proposed tiny Developmental Skill Method (tinyDSM), which integrates intrinsic motivation and fitness-based assessment. We strive for minimal hard-wired skills while encouraging the open-ended development of new skills. A key emphasis in our approach is to encode minimal a-priori general knowledge, which serves as a foundational starting point for the system as it further learns system-specific dependencies from the initial knowledge provided. Thus, by design, our approach aims to cover generic application domains. The methodology is based on (a) developmental mechanism with intrinsic motivation, and (b) a cognitive architecture (knowledge, reasoning, learning), while (c) utilizing minimal resources. It uses a hierarchical knowledge graph and kinematic reasoners to model and evaluate simple and advanced motion related skills. In our experiments, we use a resource-constrained millirobot with a volume of 36 cm^3 with a Raspberry Pi Pico 32-bit microcontroller that integrates all described features and capabilities except the camera system in 9 kB. Starting with learning the most elementary motor skills the millirobot autonomously progresses from simple linear and angular movements to complex geometric patterns within 15 minutes. To complement the physical experiments, we perform a simulation-based analysis that enables systematic comparisons across learning algorithms and intrinsic motivation parameters.

Authors 3

Markus Kobelrausch, Michael Miedler, Axel Jantsch

Specification

Official page: arxiv.org/abs/2608.17596
Source:arXiv (Atom API + RSS)T1observed 2 h agohigh
Arxiv announce type: replace
Source:arXiv (Atom API + RSS)T1observed 2 h agohigh
arXiv id: 2608.17596
Source:arXiv (Atom API + RSS)T1observed 2 h agohigh
Categories: cs.RO, cs.AI
Source:arXiv (Atom API + RSS)T1observed 2 h agohigh
PDF: arxiv.org/pdf/2608.17596
Source:arXiv (Atom API + RSS)T1observed 2 h agohigh
Primary category: cs.RO
Source:arXiv (Atom API + RSS)T1observed 2 h agohigh
Published: 11 Sept 2026
Source:arXiv (Atom API + RSS)T1observed 2 h agohigh

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9

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T19

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2 h ago

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Authors: Markus Kobelrausch, Michael Miedler, Axel Jantsch

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Value	Valid from → to	Status	Source	Confidence	Extractor
cs.RO, cs.AI	11 Sept 2026 21:03 UTC → current	current	arXiv (Atom API + RSS)T1	high	deterministic

Claims are temporal and append-only: a new observation closes the previous claim (valid_to) instead of overwriting it. Conflicting claims from different sources are kept side by side and flagged — never averaged. Methodology →

11 Sept 2026
New paperPapertinyDSM: A Framework for Skill Modeling and Development for Resource-Constrained Millirobots
New paper: tinyDSM: A Framework for Skill Modeling and Development for Resource-Constrained Millirobots
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Source documents
Source	Document	Type	Tier	Last observed	Snapshots
arXiv (Atom API + RSS)	rss.arxiv.org/rss/cs.AI	feed	T1· Official	2 h ago	1

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