mlsanityData to 7 Oct 2026

Potential Based Diffusion Motion Planning

arXiv 2407.06169 ↗First posted 8 Jul 2024cs.RO cs.CV cs.LGcited by 40

Not on the map. Why?

Cited by 23 in Diffusion models, but placed by its own abstract, which didn’t fit.

Abstract (arXiv)

Effective motion planning in high dimensional spaces is a long-standing open problem in robotics. One class of traditional motion planning algorithms corresponds to potential-based motion planning. An advantage of potential based motion planning is composability -- different motion constraints can be easily combined by adding corresponding potentials. However, constructing motion paths from potentials requires solving a global optimization across configuration space potential landscape, which is often prone to local minima. We propose a new approach towards learning potential based motion planning, where we train a neural network to capture and learn an easily optimizable potentials over motion planning trajectories. We illustrate the effectiveness of such approach, significantly outperforming both classical and recent learned motion planning approaches and avoiding issues with local minima. We further illustrate its inherent composability, enabling us to generalize to a multitude of different motion constraints.

Key facts. Cited by 40 papers in the map (data through 7 Oct 2026). Builds on 47 of its 74 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 8 Jul 2024.

Builds on

47 of 74 references.

References · 47

  1. 2017Attention Is All You Needcited by 59,932
  2. 2020Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Modelscited by 20,851
  3. 2020Denoising Diffusion Implicit Modelscited by 9,655
  4. 2015Deep Unsupervised Learning using Nonequilibrium Thermodynamicscited by 7,005
  5. 2022Classifier-Free Diffusion Guidancecited by 5,717
  6. 2013Auto-Encoding Variational Bayescited by 3,980
  7. 2016Gaussian Error Linear Units (GELUs)cited by 3,431
  8. 2023Diffusion Policy: Visuomotor Policy Learning via Action Diffusioncited by 2,730
  9. 2022Planning with Diffusion for Flexible Behavior Synthesiscited by 1,023
  10. 2022Compositional Visual Generation with Composable Diffusion Modelscited by 619
  11. 2022Diffusion Policies as an Expressive Policy Class for Offline Reinforcement Learningcited by 543
  12. 2022Is Conditional Generative Modeling all you need for Decision-Making?cited by 504
35 more
  1. 2023Diffusion-based Generation, Optimization, and Planning in 3D Scenescited by 237
  2. 2023Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Compositional Generation with Energy-Based Diffusion Models and MCMCcited by 216
  3. 2022Offline Reinforcement Learning via High-Fidelity Generative Behavior Modelingcited by 177
  4. 2023Scaling Up and Distilling Down: Language-Guided Robot Skill Acquisitioncited by 156
  5. 2023Motion Planning Diffusion: Learning and Planning of Robot Motions with Diffusion Modelscited by 155
  6. 2023Efficient Diffusion Policies for Offline Reinforcement Learningcited by 151
  7. 2023AdaptDiffuser: Diffusion Models as Adaptive Self-evolving Plannerscited by 147
  8. 2022SE(3)-DiffusionFields: Learning smooth cost functions for joint grasp and motion optimization through diffusioncited by 125
  9. 2022DALL-E-Bot: Introducing Web-Scale Diffusion Models to Roboticscited by 105
  10. 2018Taming VAEscited by 85
  11. 2018Motion Planning Networkscited by 78
  12. 2023Imitating Task and Motion Planning with Visuomotor Transformerscited by 63
  13. 2022Motion Policy Networkscited by 53
  14. 2020Path Planning using Neural A* Searchcited by 51
  15. 2014Informed RRT*: Optimal Sampling-based Path Planning Focused via Direct Sampling of an Admissible Ellipsoidal Heuristiccited by 50
  16. 2017Continuous-Time Gaussian Process Motion Planning via Probabilistic Inferencecited by 49
  17. 2023EDMP: Ensemble-of-costs-guided Diffusion for Motion Planningcited by 49
  18. 2018Riemannian Motion Policiescited by 45
  19. 2018Robot Motion Planning in Learned Latent Spacescited by 40
  20. 2023Compositional Diffusion-Based Continuous Constraint Solverscited by 39
  21. 2014Batch Informed Trees (BIT*): Sampling-based Optimal Planning via the Heuristically Guided Search of Implicit Random Geometric Graphscited by 38
  22. 2023Probabilistic Adaptation of Text-to-Video Modelscited by 29
  23. 2013Fast Marching Tree: a Fast Marching Sampling-Based Method for Optimal Motion Planning in Many Dimensionscited by 25
  24. 2021Differentiable Spatial Planning using Transformerscited by 25
  25. 2019Neural Path Planning: Fixed Time, Near-Optimal Path Generation via Oracle Imitationcited by 23
  26. 2023DiMSam: Diffusion Models as Samplers for Task and Motion Planning under Partial Observabilitycited by 21
  27. 2022Reducing Collision Checking for Sampling-Based Motion Planning Using Graph Neural Networkscited by 16
  28. 2020Advanced BIT* (ABIT*): Sampling-Based Planning with Advanced Graph-Search Techniquescited by 10
  29. 2021Motion Planning Transformers: A Motion Planning Framework for Mobile Robotscited by 10
  30. 2017Potential Functions based Sampling Heuristic For Optimal Path Planningcited by 9
  31. 2023Denoising Heat-inspired Diffusion with Insulators for Collision Free Motion Planningcited by 8
  32. 2020Geometric Fabrics for the Acceleration-based Design of Robotic Motioncited by 7
  33. 2022Control Transformer: Robot Navigation in Unknown Environments through PRM-Guided Return-Conditioned Sequence Modelingcited by 5
  34. 2021Waypoint Planning Networkscited by 4
  35. 2023Leveraging Scene Embeddings for Gradient-Based Motion Planning in Latent Spacecited by 4

Built on by

Cited by year (2026 to 7 Oct)

Citing papers per year: 2024: 4; 2025: 22; 2026: 14.

40 papers.

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  1. 2025Inference-time Scaling of Diffusion Models through Classical Searchcited by 48
  2. 2025Generative Trajectory Stitching through Diffusion Compositioncited by 38
  3. 2025Simultaneous Multi-Robot Motion Planning with Projected Diffusion Modelscited by 37
  4. 2024Deep Generative Models in Robotics: A Survey on Learning from Multimodal Demonstrationscited by 35
  5. 2024Motion Planning Diffusion: Learning and Adapting Robot Motion Planning with Diffusion Modelscited by 32
  6. 2025Inference-Time Enhancement of Generative Robot Policies via Predictive World Modelingcited by 22
  7. 2025Skill Expansion and Composition in Parameter Spacecited by 13
  8. 2024ComDrive: Comfort-Oriented End-to-End Autonomous Drivingcited by 11
  9. 2025Discrete-Guided Diffusion for Scalable and Safe Multi-Robot Motion Planningcited by 10
  10. 2025CDP: Towards Robust Autoregressive Visuomotor Policy Learning via Causal Diffusioncited by 8
  11. 2025CHD: Coupled Hierarchical Diffusion for Long-Horizon Taskscited by 6
  12. 2025Hybrid Diffusion for Simultaneous Symbolic and Continuous Planningcited by 6
28 more
  1. 2025Modality-Composable Diffusion Policy via Inference-Time Distribution-level Compositioncited by 5
  2. 2024WARPD: World model Assisted Reactive Policy Diffusioncited by 3
  3. 2025Train-Once Plan-Anywhere Kinodynamic Motion Planning via Diffusion Treescited by 3
  4. 2025ComposableNav: Instruction-Following Navigation in Dynamic Environments via Composable Diffusioncited by 3
  5. 2026Simulation-Informed Diffusion for Decentralized Multi-robot Motion Planningcited by 3
  6. 2026Compositional Visual Planning via Inference-Time Diffusion Scalingcited by 2
  7. 2026Refining Compositional Diffusion for Reliable Long-Horizon Planningcited by 2
  8. 2025Robustly Invertible Nonlinear Dynamics and the BiLipREN: Contracting Neural Models with Contracting Inversescited by 1
  9. 2025Belief-Conditioned One-Step Diffusion: Real-Time Trajectory Planning with Just-Enough Sensingcited by 1
  10. 2025Scalable Multi Agent Diffusion Policies for Coverage Controlcited by 1
  11. 2025Contrastive Diffusion Guidance for Spatial Inverse Problemscited by 1
  12. 2025Flexible Locomotion Learning with Diffusion Model Predictive Controlcited by 1
  13. 2025CAPE: Context-Aware Diffusion Policy Via Proximal Mode Expansion for Collision Avoidancecited by 1
  14. 2026Toward Generalist Neural Motion Planners for Robotic Manipulators: Challenges and Opportunitiescited by 1
  15. 2026Analogical Trajectory Transfercited by 1
  16. 2026Grounding Generative Policies in Physics: Optimization-Guided Diffusion for Robot Controlcited by 1
  17. 2025Improving Trajectory Stitching with Flow Modelscited by 0
  18. 2025Real-Time Adaptive Motion Planning via Point Cloud-Guided, Energy-Based Diffusion and Potential Fieldscited by 0
  19. 2025Controlling Intent Expressiveness in Robot Motion with Diffusion Modelscited by 0
  20. 2025SeFA-Policy: Fast and Accurate Visuomotor Policy Learning with Selective Flow Alignmentcited by 0
  21. 2026Muninn: Your Trajectory Diffusion Model But Fastercited by 0
  22. 2026Conflict-Aware Additive Guidance for Flow Models under Compositional Rewardscited by 0
  23. 2026Sum of Costs Diffusion with Dynamic Guidance for Motion Planningcited by 0
  24. 2026Human2Any: Human-to-Robot Transfer via Constraint-Aware Compositional Planningcited by 0
  25. 2026Robustly Invertible Nonlinear Dynamics and the BiLipREN: From Inversion-Based Control to Generative Trajectory Modellingcited by 0
  26. 2026GRACE: Gradient-Free Robot Action Generation via Combined Diffusion-MPPI Posterior Mean Estimationcited by 0
  27. 2026Learning to Plan from Random Explorationcited by 0
  28. 2026Training-Free Diffusion Planning with Analytical Local Scorescited by 0