DigiKey Partners with Shawn Hymel for Reinforcement Learning Workshop

The virtual event centers on reinforcement learning, a machine learning branch where agents learn complex physical tasks like balancing or walking through trial and error. Hymel will walk participants through the entire pipeline, starting with importing a 3D model of the M5Stack Bala-C into the MuJoCo physics simulator. Attendees will learn to train a neural network policy using a multi-phase PPO curriculum before deploying the actor network to an ESP32 microcontroller via Arduino.

David Sandys, senior director of technical enablement at DigiKey, noted that while reinforcement learning is becoming an essential tool for modern robotics, the entry barrier remains high for many developers. By bridging the gap between simulation steps and hardware deployment, the workshop aims to provide a tangible starting point for those interested in AI-powered control systems. For those unable to attend the live broadcast, registration ensures access to the event recording. Complementing the webinar, the company has launched a six-part YouTube series that explores these concepts in further detail, with full documentation available on the DigiKey Maker.io portal.