Related papers: Second-Order Convergent Collision-Constrained Opti…
Finding the optimal hyperparameters of a model can be cast as a bilevel optimization problem, typically solved using zero-order techniques. In this work we study first-order methods when the inner optimization problem is convex but…
To operate reactively in uncertain environments, robots need to be able to quickly estimate the risk that they will collide with their environment. This ability is important for both planning (to ensure that plans maintain acceptable levels…
Convex optimization is crucial in controlling legged robots, where stability and optimal control are vital. Many control problems can be formulated as convex optimization problems, with a convex cost function and constraints capturing…
Generating intelligent robot behavior in contact-rich settings is a research problem where zeroth-order methods currently prevail. A major contributor to the success of such methods is their robustness in the face of non-smooth and…
This paper presents a convex approach to the optimization of a cooperative rendezvous, that is, the problem of two distant spacecraft that simultaneously operate to get closer. Convex programming guarantees convergence towards the optimal…
This paper describes a method for solving smooth nonconvex minimization problems subject to bound constraints with good worst-case complexity guarantees and practical performance. The method contains elements of two existing methods: the…
This paper presents a distributed method for robots moving in rigid formations while ensuring probabilistic collision avoidance between the robots. The formation is parametrised through the transformation of a base configuration. The robots…
Optimizing non-convex functions is of primary importance in the vast majority of machine learning algorithms. Even though many gradient descent based algorithms have been studied, successive convex approximation based algorithms have been…
Applying intelligent robot arms in dynamic uncertain environments (i.e., flexible production lines) remains challenging, which requires efficient algorithms for real time trajectory generation. The motion planning problem for robot…
In this paper, we attempt to compare two distinct branches of research on second-order optimization methods. The first one studies self-concordant functions and barriers, the main assumption being that the third derivative of the objective…
Rapid advances in data collection and processing capabilities have allowed for the use of increasingly complex models that give rise to nonconvex optimization problems. These formulations, however, can be arbitrarily difficult to solve in…
This paper proposes a collision avoidance method for ellipsoidal rigid bodies, which utilizes a control barrier function (CBF) designed from a supporting hyperplane. We formulate the problem in the Special Euclidean Group SE(2) and SE(3),…
We provide a framework for computing the exact worst-case performance of any algorithm belonging to a broad class of oracle-based first-order methods for composite convex optimization, including those performing explicit, projected,…
Superlinear convergence has been an elusive goal for black-box nonsmooth optimization. Even in the convex case, the subgradient method is very slow, and while some cutting plane algorithms, including traditional bundle methods, are popular…
Collision detection is one of the most time-consuming operations during motion planning. Thus, there is an increasing interest in exploring machine learning techniques to speed up collision detection and sampling-based motion planning. A…
This paper studies second-order methods for nonconvex-strongly-convex bilevel optimization. We propose a novel fully second-order bilevel approximation method (FSBA) that achieves an iteration complexity of…
Contact-implicit motion planning-embedding contact sequencing as implicit complementarity constraints-holds the promise of leveraging continuous optimization to discover new contact patterns online. Nevertheless, the resulting optimization,…
In this work, we present a per-instant pose optimization method that can generate configurations that achieve specified pose or motion objectives as best as possible over a sequence of solutions, while also simultaneously avoiding…
Bilevel optimization (BO) is useful for solving a variety of important machine learning problems including but not limited to hyperparameter optimization, meta-learning, continual learning, and reinforcement learning. Conventional BO…
This work analyzes the inverse optimal transport (IOT) problem under Bregman regularization. We establish well-posedness results, including existence, uniqueness (up to equivalence classes of solutions), and stability, under several…