Regret-Optimal Control under Partial Observability

Abstract

This paper studies online solutions for regret-optimal control in partially observable systems over an infinite-horizon. Regret-optimal control aims to minimize the difference in LQR cost between causal and non-causal controllers while considering the worst-case regret across all $\ell_2$-norm-bounded disturbance and measurement sequences. Building on ideas from Sabag et al., 2023, on the the full-information setting, our work extends the framework to the scenario of partial observability (measurement-feedback). We derive an explicit state-space solution when the non-causal solution is the one that minimizes the $\mathcal H_2$ criterion, and demonstrate its practical utility on several practical examples. These results underscore the framework's significant relevance and applicability in real-world systems.