# STAR: A Foundation Model-driven Framework for Robust Task Planning and Failure Recovery in Robotic Systems

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.06060 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.06060/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 37 of its 56 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 8 Mar 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 30 of 37)

- [Attention Is All You Need](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.03762/) (2017)
- [Learning Transferable Visual Models From Natural Language Supervision](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.00020/) (2021)
- [Language Models are Few-Shot Learners](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2005.14165/) (2020)
- [GPT-4 Technical Report](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.08774/) (2023)
- [BLIP: Bootstrapping Language-Image Pre-training for Unified Vision-Language Understanding and Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.12086/) (2022)
- [Toolformer: Language Models Can Teach Themselves to Use Tools](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.04761/) (2023)
- [Do As I Can, Not As I Say: Grounding Language in Robotic Affordances](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2204.01691/) (2022)
- [PaLM-E: An Embodied Multimodal Language Model](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.03378/) (2023)
- [Grounded Language-Image Pre-training](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.03857/) (2021)
- [Language Models as Zero-Shot Planners: Extracting Actionable Knowledge for Embodied Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.07207/) (2022)
- [ProgPrompt: Generating Situated Robot Task Plans using Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.11302/) (2022)
- [LLM+P: Empowering Large Language Models with Optimal Planning Proficiency](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.11477/) (2023)
- [LLM-Planner: Few-Shot Grounded Planning for Embodied Agents with Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2212.04088/) (2022)
- [LM-Nav: Robotic Navigation with Large Pre-Trained Models of Language, Vision, and Action](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2207.04429/) (2022)
- [ReKep: Spatio-Temporal Reasoning of Relational Keypoint Constraints for Robotic Manipulation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.01652/) (2024)
- [Text2Motion: From Natural Language Instructions to Feasible Plans](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.12153/) (2023)
- [REFLECT: Summarizing Robot Experiences for Failure Explanation and Correction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.15724/) (2023)
- [AutoTAMP: Autoregressive Task and Motion Planning with LLMs as Translators and Checkers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.06531/) (2023)
- [CLIP2: Contrastive Language-Image-Point Pretraining from Real-World Point Cloud Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.12417/) (2023)
- [Tree-Planner: Efficient Close-loop Task Planning with Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.08582/) (2023)
- [CrowdCLIP: Unsupervised Crowd Counting via Vision-Language Model](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.04231/) (2023)
- [FLIP: Cross-domain Face Anti-spoofing with Language Guidance](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.16649/) (2023)
- [RePLan: Robotic Replanning with Perception and Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.04157/) (2024)
- [Explainable AI for Robot Failures: Generating Explanations that Improve User Assistance in Fault Recovery](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2101.01625/) (2021)
- [CAPE: Corrective Actions from Precondition Errors using Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.09935/) (2022)
- [Vision-Language Interpreter for Robot Task Planning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.00967/) (2023)
- [Functional Object-Oriented Network for Manipulation Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1902.01537/) (2019)
- [Interactive Planning Using Large Language Models for Partially Observable Robotics Tasks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.06876/) (2023)
- [A Survey of Knowledge Representation in Service Robotics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1807.02192/) (2018)
- [GraphPlan: Story Generation by Planning with Event Graph](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.02977/) (2021)

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

- [CycleVLA: Proactive Self-Correcting Vision-Language-Action Models via Subtask Backtracking and Minimum Bayes Risk Decoding](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.02295/) (2026)
- [See, Plan, Rewind: Progress-Aware Vision-Language-Action Models for Robust Robotic Manipulation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.09292/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Modern robotic systems, deployed across domains from industrial automation to domestic assistance, face a critical challenge: executing tasks with precision and adaptability in dynamic, unpredictable environments. To address this, we propose STAR (Smart Task Adaptation and Recovery), a novel framework that synergizes Foundation Models (FMs) with dynamically expanding Knowledge Graphs (KGs) to enable resilient task planning and autonomous failure recovery. While FMs offer remarkable generalization and contextual reasoning, their limitations, including computational inefficiency, hallucinations, and output inconsistencies hinder reliable deployment. STAR mitigates these issues by embedding learned knowledge into structured, reusable KGs, which streamline information retrieval, reduce redundant FM computations, and provide precise, scenario-specific insights. The framework leverages FM-driven reasoning to diagnose failures, generate context-aware recovery strategies, and execute corrective actions without human intervention or system restarts. Unlike conventional approaches that rely on rigid protocols, STAR dynamically expands its KG with experiential knowledge, ensuring continuous adaptation to novel scenarios. To evaluate the effectiveness of this approach, we developed a comprehensive dataset that includes various robotic tasks and failure scenarios. Through extensive experimentation, STAR demonstrated an 86% task planning accuracy and 78% recovery success rate, showing significant improvements over baseline methods. The framework's ability to continuously learn from experience while maintaining structured knowledge representation makes it particularly suitable for long-term deployment in real-world applications.