mlsanityData to 14 Oct 2026

Safe Imitation Learning of Nonlinear Model Predictive Control for Flexible Robots

arXiv 2212.02941 ↗First posted 6 Dec 2022cs.RO cs.LG math.OCcited by 3

On the map: Offline RL and imitation learning from data → Imitation learning methods

Abstract (arXiv)

Flexible robots may overcome some of the industry's major challenges, such as enabling intrinsically safe human-robot collaboration and achieving a higher payload-to-mass ratio. However, controlling flexible robots is complicated due to their complex dynamics, which include oscillatory behavior and a high-dimensional state space. Nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) offers an effective means to control such robots, but its significant computational demand often limits its application in real-time scenarios. To enable fast control of flexible robots, we propose a framework for a safe approximation of NMPC using imitation learning and a predictive safety filter. Our framework significantly reduces computation time while incurring a slight loss in performance. Compared to NMPC, our framework shows more than an eightfold improvement in computation time when controlling a three-dimensional flexible robot arm in simulation, all while guaranteeing safety constraints. Notably, our approach outperforms state-of-the-art reinforcement learning methods. The development of fast and safe approximate NMPC holds the potential to accelerate the adoption of flexible robots in industry. The project code is available at: tinyurl.com/anmpc4fr

Key facts. Cited by 3 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 15 of its 43 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 6 Dec 2022.

Builds on

15 of 43 references.

Closest ancestors · 2

Same direction, newest first

  1. 2022imitation: Clean Imitation Learning Implementations22 Nov
  2. 2019MPC-Net: A First Principles Guided Policy Search11 Sep

Other references · 13

  1. 2017Proximal Policy Optimization Algorithmscited by 15,215
  2. 2018Soft Actor-Critic: Off-Policy Maximum Entropy Deep Reinforcement Learning with a Stochastic Actorcited by 4,885
  3. 2016Generative Adversarial Imitation Learningcited by 1,597
  4. 2017Learning Robust Rewards with Adversarial Inverse Reinforcement Learningcited by 490
  5. 2019Control Barrier Functions: Theory and Applicationscited by 372
  6. 2021Safe Learning in Robotics: From Learning-Based Control to Safe Reinforcement Learningcited by 371
  7. 2019Improving Sample Efficiency in Model-Free Reinforcement Learning from Imagescited by 274
  8. 2017Stabilizing Training of Generative Adversarial Networks through Regularizationcited by 118
  9. 2018A predictive safety filter for learning-based control of constrained nonlinear dynamical systemscited by 118
  10. 2019acados: a modular open-source framework for fast embedded optimal controlcited by 68
  11. 2020HPIPM: a high-performance quadratic programming framework for model predictive controlcited by 23
  12. 2019Safe and Fast Tracking on a Robot Manipulator: Robust MPC and Neural Network Controlcited by 17
1 more
  1. 2016Density Matching Reward Learningcited by 4

Built on by

Cited by year (2026 to 14 Oct)

Citing papers per year: 2025: 1; 2026: 2.

3 papers.

  1. 2025Synthesis of Model Predictive Control and Reinforcement Learning: Survey and Classificationcited by 26
  2. 2026Safety-Guaranteed Imitation Learning from Nonlinear Model Predictive Control for Spacecraft Close Proximity Operationscited by 0
  3. 2026Guided Riemannian Optimization (GuRO): Bridging Model Predictive Control and Decision Transformerscited by 0

Similar, not cited

Close in wording, no citation either way

  1. 2025Safety-Aware Imitation Learning via MPC-Guided Disturbance Injection
  2. 2026D-SafeMPC: Diffusion-Driven Safe Model Predictive Control with Discrete-Time Control Barrier Functions
  3. 2024SRL-VIC: A Variable Stiffness-Based Safe Reinforcement Learning for Contact-Rich Robotic Tasks
  4. 2026SafeFlowMPC: Predictive and Safe Trajectory Planning for Robot Manipulators with Learning-based Policies ↗
  5. 2025Imitation Learning of MPC with Neural Networks: Error Guarantees and Sparsification
  6. 2025Statistically Consistent Approximate Model Predictive Control
  7. 2021Bayesian Disturbance Injection: Robust Imitation Learning of Flexible Policies
  8. 2024Reinforcement Learning Controllers for Soft Robots using Learned Environments