A method for minimizing the rate of collision of a mobile robotic device. A mobile robotic device selects controls comprised of sets of actions to navigate through a workspace. Controls resulting in non-collisions cause the system to earn a positive reward. Controls resulting in collisions cause the system to earn a negative reward. Cumulative rewards over the course of a work session are compared to the cumulative rewards of other work sessions. A policy is defined based on outcomes of prior work sessions to minimize the expected number of collisions.