Related papers: Optimality and Suboptimality of MPPI Control in St…

This paper introduces a method for Model Predictive Path Integral (MPPI) control that optimizes sample generation towards an optimal trajectory through Stein Variational Gradient Descent (SVGD). MPPI relies upon predictive rollout of…

We consider the optimal control design problem for discrete-time LTI systems with state feedback, when the actuation signal is subject to unmeasurable switching propagation delays, due to e.g. the routing in a multi-hop communication…

Reactive mobile robot navigation in unstructured environments is challenging when robots encounter unexpected obstacles that invalidate previously planned trajectories. Model predictive path integral control (MPPI) enables reactive…

This paper considers optimal control of dynamical systems which are represented by nonlinear stochastic differential equations. It is well-known that the optimal control policy for this problem can be obtained as a function of a value…

Suboptimal model predictive control is a technique that can reduce the computational cost of model predictive control (MPC) by exploiting its robustness to incomplete optimization. Instead of solving the optimal control problem exactly,…

Optimal control of stochastic nonlinear dynamical systems is a major challenge in the domain of robot learning. Given the intractability of the global control problem, state-of-the-art algorithms focus on approximate sequential optimization…

In real-world problems, uncertainties (e.g., errors in the measurement, precision errors) often lead to poor performance of numerical algorithms when not explicitly taken into account. This is also the case for control problems, where…

In this chapter, we are concerned with inverse optimal control problems, i.e., optimization models which are used to identify parameters in optimal control problems from given measurements. Here, we focus on linear-quadratic optimal control…

Model Predictive Control (MPC) is widely used in robot control by optimizing a sequence of control outputs over a finite-horizon. Computational approaches for MPC include deterministic methods (e.g., iLQR and COBYLA), as well as…

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) play a crucial role in surveying marine environments, carrying out underwater inspection tasks, and ocean exploration. However, in order to ensure that the AUV is able to carry out its mission…

Model Predictive Control (MPC) is a well-established approach to solve infinite horizon optimal control problems. Since optimization over an infinite time horizon is generally infeasible, MPC determines a suboptimal feedback control by…

Optimality is a critical aspect of Model Predictive Control (MPC), especially in economic MPC. However, achieving optimality in MPC presents significant challenges, and may even be impossible, due to inherent inaccuracies in the predictive…

Roll-to-roll (R2R) manufacturing is a continuous processing technology essential for scalable production of thin-film materials and printed electronics, but precise control remains challenging due to subsystem interactions, nonlinearities,…

Time-optimal control of a multi-rotor remains an open problem due to the under-actuation and nonlinearity of its dynamics, which make it difficult to solve this problem directly. In this paper, the time-optimal control problem of the…

This paper presents a novel approach to improve the Model Predictive Path Integral (MPPI) control by using a transformer to initialize the mean control sequence. Traditional MPPI methods often struggle with sample efficiency and…

Sampling-based controllers, such as Model Predictive Path Integral (MPPI) methods, offer substantial flexibility but often suffer from high variance and low sample efficiency. To address these challenges, we introduce a hybrid…

In this note, we consider infinite horizon optimal control problems with deterministic systems. Since exact solutions to these problems are often intractable, we propose a parallel model predictive control (MPC) method that provides an…

The problem of optimal motion planing and control is fundamental in robotics. However, this problem is intractable for continuous-time stochastic systems in general and the solution is difficult to approximate if non-instantaneous nonlinear…

Robotic navigation in unknown, cluttered environments with limited sensing capabilities poses significant challenges in robotics. Local trajectory optimization methods, such as Model Predictive Path Intergal (MPPI), are a promising solution…

We study an optimal control problem in which both the objective function and the dynamic constraint contain an uncertain parameter. Since the distribution of this uncertain parameter is not exactly known, the objective function is taken as…