# Output Feedback Tube MPC-Guided Data Augmentation for Robust, Efficient Sensorimotor Policy Learning

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2210.10127 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.10127/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in Imitation learning methods, one of 13 directions in Offline RL and imitation learning from data.
- Builds on 18 of its 40 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 18 Oct 2022.

## Placed in

- Offline RL and imitation learning from data / [Imitation learning methods](https://mlsanity.com/offlinerl/imitation-learning-methods/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 18 of 18)

- [End to End Learning for Self-Driving Cars](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1604.07316/) (2016)
- [AugMix: A Simple Data Processing Method to Improve Robustness and Uncertainty](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1912.02781/) (2019)
- [Sim-to-Real Transfer of Robotic Control with Dynamics Randomization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1710.06537/) (2017)
- [DART: Noise Injection for Robust Imitation Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1703.09327/) (2017)
- [Kimera: an Open-Source Library for Real-Time Metric-Semantic Localization and Mapping](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1910.02490/) (2019)
- [A Rewriting System for Convex Optimization Problems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1709.04494/) (2017)
- [Learning High-Speed Flight in the Wild](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2110.05113/) (2021)
- [Flightmare: A Flexible Quadrotor Simulator](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2009.00563/) (2020)
- [Deep Drone Racing: From Simulation to Reality with Domain Randomization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1905.09727/) (2019)
- [Deep Drone Acrobatics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.05768/) (2020)
- [Learning Deep Control Policies for Autonomous Aerial Vehicles with MPC-Guided Policy Search](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1509.06791/) (2015)
- [PLATO: Policy Learning using Adaptive Trajectory Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1603.00622/) (2016)
- [Learning Safe, Generalizable Perception-based Hybrid Control with Certificates](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.00932/) (2022)
- [Adversarial Imitation Learning with Trajectorial Augmentation and Correction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.13887/) (2021)
- [Demonstration-Efficient Guided Policy Search via Imitation of Robust Tube MPC](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2109.09910/) (2021)
- [Linear vs Nonlinear MPC for Trajectory Tracking Applied to Rotary Wing Micro Aerial Vehicles](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1611.09240/) (2016)
- [Approximate Inverse Reinforcement Learning from Vision-based Imitation Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2004.08051/) (2020)
- [A Simple and Efficient Tube-based Robust Output Feedback Model Predictive Control Scheme](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1911.07360/) (2019)

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [Tube-NeRF: Efficient Imitation Learning of Visuomotor Policies from MPC using Tube-Guided Data Augmentation and NeRFs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.14153/) (2023)
- [Efficient Deep Learning of Robust, Adaptive Policies using Tube MPC-Guided Data Augmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.15688/) (2023)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Imitation learning (IL) can generate computationally efficient sensorimotor policies from demonstrations provided by computationally expensive model-based sensing and control algorithms. However, commonly employed IL methods are often data-inefficient, requiring the collection of a large number of demonstrations and producing policies with limited robustness to uncertainties. In this work, we combine IL with an output feedback robust tube model predictive controller (RTMPC) to co-generate demonstrations and a data augmentation strategy to efficiently learn neural network-based sensorimotor policies. Thanks to the augmented data, we reduce the computation time and the number of demonstrations needed by IL, while providing robustness to sensing and process uncertainty. We tailor our approach to the task of learning a trajectory tracking visuomotor policy for an aerial robot, leveraging a 3D mesh of the environment as part of the data augmentation process. We numerically demonstrate that our method can learn a robust visuomotor policy from a single demonstration--a two-orders of magnitude improvement in demonstration efficiency compared to existing IL methods.