mlsanityData to 14 Oct 2026

Diffusion Model Predictive Control

arXiv 2410.05364 ↗First posted 7 Oct 2024cs.LG cs.AIcited by 36

On the map: Diffusion models → Diffusion and flow policies for robotics

Abstract (arXiv)

We propose Diffusion Model Predictive Control (D-MPC), a novel MPC approach that learns a multi-step action proposal and a multi-step dynamics model, both using diffusion models, and combines them for use in online MPC. On the popular D4RL benchmark, we show performance that is significantly better than existing model-based offline planning methods using MPC (e.g. MBOP) and competitive with state-of-the-art (SOTA) model-based and model-free reinforcement learning methods. We additionally illustrate D-MPC's ability to optimize novel reward functions at run time and adapt to novel dynamics, and highlight its advantages compared to existing diffusion-based planning baselines.

Key facts. Cited by 36 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026). Placed in Diffusion and flow policies for robotics, one of 14 directions in Diffusion models. Builds on 46 of its 57 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 7 Oct 2024.

Builds on

46 of 57 references.

Closest ancestors · 9

Same direction, newest first

  1. 2024DyDiff: Long-Horizon Rollout via Dynamics Diffusion for Offline Reinforcement Learning29 May
  2. 2024Model-Based Diffusion for Trajectory Optimization28 May
  3. 2024Policy-Guided Diffusion9 Apr
  4. 2024Diffusion World Model: Future Modeling Beyond Step-by-Step Rollout for Offline Reinforcement Learning5 Feb
  5. 2023World Models via Policy-Guided Trajectory Diffusion13 Dec
  6. 2023Diffusion Policy: Visuomotor Policy Learning via Action Diffusion7 Mar
  7. 2023Diffusion Model-Augmented Behavioral Cloning26 Feb
  8. 2023Imitating Human Behaviour with Diffusion Models25 Jan
  9. 2022Is Conditional Generative Modeling all you need for Decision-Making?28 Nov

Other references · 37

  1. 2020Denoising Diffusion Implicit Modelscited by 9,781
  2. 2016Layer Normalizationcited by 5,669
  3. 2021Improved Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Modelscited by 3,761
  4. 2022Flow Straight and Fast: Learning to Generate and Transfer Data with Rectified Flowcited by 3,700
  5. 2022Elucidating the Design Space of Diffusion-Based Generative Modelscited by 3,045
  6. 2023Consistency Modelscited by 1,822
  7. 2020Conservative Q-Learning for Offline Reinforcement Learningcited by 1,809
  8. 2019Dream to Control: Learning Behaviors by Latent Imaginationcited by 1,653
  9. 2021Decision Transformer: Reinforcement Learning via Sequence Modelingcited by 1,546
  10. 2020D4RL: Datasets for Deep Data-Driven Reinforcement Learningcited by 1,427
  11. 2019Mastering Atari, Go, Chess and Shogi by Planning with a Learned Modelcited by 1,353
  12. 2021Offline Reinforcement Learning with Implicit Q-Learningcited by 1,293
25 more
  1. 2022Planning with Diffusion for Flexible Behavior Synthesiscited by 1,061
  2. 2022DPM-Solver++: Fast Solver for Guided Sampling of Diffusion Probabilistic Modelscited by 938
  3. 2020On Layer Normalization in the Transformer Architecturecited by 922
  4. 2021Offline Reinforcement Learning as One Big Sequence Modeling Problemcited by 644
  5. 2020MOPO: Model-based Offline Policy Optimizationcited by 636
  6. 2020MOReL : Model-Based Offline Reinforcement Learningcited by 590
  7. 2023TD-MPC2: Scalable, Robust World Models for Continuous Controlcited by 512
  8. 2023Learning Interactive Real-World Simulatorscited by 458
  9. 2023Improved Techniques for Training Consistency Modelscited by 439
  10. 2022Temporal Difference Learning for Model Predictive Controlcited by 397
  11. 2021COMBO: Conservative Offline Model-Based Policy Optimizationcited by 370
  12. 2024Diffusion for World Modeling: Visual Details Matter in Ataricited by 300
  13. 2020Model-Based Offline Planningcited by 129
  14. 2022CORL: Research-oriented Deep Offline Reinforcement Learning Librarycited by 119
  15. 2022RAMBO-RL: Robust Adversarial Model-Based Offline Reinforcement Learningcited by 115
  16. 2023Parallel Sampling of Diffusion Modelscited by 112
  17. 2022From Play to Policy: Conditional Behavior Generation from Uncurated Robot Datacited by 103
  18. 2023Synthetic Experience Replaycited by 101
  19. 2024EM Distillation for One-step Diffusion Modelscited by 62
  20. 2023On the Design Fundamentals of Diffusion Models: A Surveycited by 60
  21. 2019Combating the Compounding-Error Problem with a Multi-step Modelcited by 54
  22. 2022Investigating Compounding Prediction Errors in Learned Dynamics Modelscited by 47
  23. 2019Learning to Combat Compounding-Error in Model-Based Reinforcement Learningcited by 39
  24. 2023A Generalist Dynamics Model for Controlcited by 24
  25. 2023On Representation Complexity of Model-based and Model-free Reinforcement Learningcited by 6

Built on by

Cited by year (2026 to 14 Oct)

Citing papers per year: 2024: 2; 2025: 21; 2026: 13.

36 papers.

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  1. 2025On the Guidance of Flow Matchingcited by 45
  2. 2025What Drives Success in Physical Planning with Joint-Embedding Predictive World Models?cited by 43
  3. 2024Diffusion Predictive Control with Constraintscited by 33
  4. 2025Monte Carlo Tree Diffusion for System 2 Planningcited by 33
  5. 2025PoE-World: Compositional World Modeling with Products of Programmatic Expertscited by 26
  6. 2025DDAT: Diffusion Policies Enforcing Dynamically Admissible Robot Trajectoriescited by 14
  7. 2026A Lightweight Library for Energy-Based Joint-Embedding Predictive Architecturescited by 14
  8. 2025Scalable Offline Model-Based RL with Action Chunkscited by 13
  9. 2025Adaptive Inference-Time Scaling via Cyclic Diffusion Searchcited by 7
  10. 2024The Duality of Generative AI and Reinforcement Learning in Robotics: A Reviewcited by 6
  11. 2025Zero-Shot Trajectory Planning for Signal Temporal Logic Taskscited by 6
  12. 2025Fast Monte Carlo Tree Diffusion: 100x Speedup via Parallel Sparse Planningcited by 6
24 more
  1. 2025Dynamics-aware Diffusion Models for Planning and Controlcited by 4
  2. 2025Tree-Guided Diffusion Plannercited by 4
  3. 2025Generative AI for Autonomous Driving: A Reviewcited by 3
  4. 2025Generative Models From and For Sampling-Based MPC: A Bootstrapped Approach For Adaptive Contact-Rich Manipulationcited by 3
  5. 2025SAD-Flower: Flow Matching for Safe, Admissible, and Dynamically Consistent Planningcited by 3
  6. 2025Model-Based Diffusion Sampling for Predictive Control in Offline Decision Makingcited by 3
  7. 2026Generative Control as Optimization: Time Unconditional Flow Matching for Adaptive and Robust Robotic Controlcited by 3
  8. 2025Controllable Motion Generation via Diffusion Modal Couplingcited by 2
  9. 2025Diffusion-Based Forecasting for Uncertainty-Aware Model Predictive Controlcited by 2
  10. 2025A KL-regularization Framework for Learning to Plan with Adaptive Priorscited by 2
  11. 2025Compositional Monte Carlo Tree Diffusion for Extendable Planningcited by 2
  12. 2025Flexible Locomotion Learning with Diffusion Model Predictive Controlcited by 1
  13. 2025Long-Horizon Model-Based Offline Reinforcement Learning Without Explicit Conservatismcited by 1
  14. 2026Accelerated Sequential Flow Matching: A Bayesian Filtering Perspectivecited by 1
  15. 2026Amortizing Trajectory Diffusion with Keyed Drift Fieldscited by 1
  16. 2026Inference Time Policy Optimization for Offline RL with Differentiable World Modelscited by 1
  17. 2026Flow Motion Policy: Manipulator Motion Planning with Flow Matching Modelscited by 1
  18. 2026CMP: Robust Whole-Body Tracking for Loco-Manipulation via Competence Manifold Projectioncited by 1
  19. 2026Cost-Aware Diffusion Active Searchcited by 0
  20. 2026RAY-TOLD: Ray-Based Latent Dynamics for Dense Dynamic Obstacle Avoidance with TDMPCcited by 0
  21. 2026D-SafeMPC: Diffusion-Driven Safe Model Predictive Control with Discrete-Time Control Barrier Functionscited by 0
  22. 2026D-IMPL: A Diffusion-based Solver for Parameterized BBOscited by 0
  23. 2026From Static Policies to Adaptive Priors in Offline Reinforcement Learningcited by 0
  24. 2026LeWAM: A JEPA World Action Model with Diffusion-Steering-Based MPCcited by 0

Similar, not cited

Close in wording, no citation either way

  1. 2025Diffusion-Based Approximate MPC: Fast and Consistent Imitation of Multi-Modal Action Distributions
  2. 2025Unifying Model Predictive Path Integral Control, Reinforcement Learning, and Diffusion Models for Optimal Control and Planning
  3. 2026Diffusion Modulation via Environment Mechanism Modeling for Planning
  4. 2024Diffusion Models as Optimizers for Efficient Planning in Offline RL
  5. 2024Faster Model Predictive Control via Self-Supervised Initialization Learning
  6. 2018Differentiable MPC for End-to-end Planning and Control
  7. 2025Diffusion Models for Reinforcement Learning: Foundations, Taxonomy, and Development
  8. 2026MODIP: Efficient Model-Based Optimization for Diffusion Policies