# Model Predictive Control for Crowd Navigation via Learning-Based Trajectory Prediction

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.07079 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.07079/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 9 of its 21 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 9 Aug 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 9 of 9)

- [Social-STGCNN: A Social Spatio-Temporal Graph Convolutional Neural Network for Human Trajectory Prediction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2002.11927/) (2020)
- [From Goals, Waypoints & Paths To Long Term Human Trajectory Forecasting](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2012.01526/) (2020)
- [Principles and Guidelines for Evaluating Social Robot Navigation Algorithms](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.16740/) (2023)
- [Social-Implicit: Rethinking Trajectory Prediction Evaluation and The Effectiveness of Implicit Maximum Likelihood Estimation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.03057/) (2022)
- [Review of Pedestrian Trajectory Prediction Methods: Comparing Deep Learning and Knowledge-based Approaches](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.06740/) (2021)
- [Model Predictive Contouring Control for Collision Avoidance in Unstructured Dynamic Environments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.10190/) (2020)
- [Interactive multi-modal motion planning with Branch Model Predictive Control](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2109.05128/) (2021)
- [Pedestrian Trajectory Prediction in Pedestrian-Vehicle Mixed Environments: A Systematic Review](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.06419/) (2023)
- [Globally Guided Trajectory Planning in Dynamic Environments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.07751/) (2023)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Safe navigation in pedestrian-rich environments remains a key challenge for autonomous robots. This work evaluates the integration of a deep learning-based Social-Implicit (SI) pedestrian trajectory predictor within a Model Predictive Control (MPC) framework on the physical Continental Corriere robot. Tested across varied pedestrian densities, the SI-MPC system is compared to a traditional Constant Velocity (CV) model in both open-loop prediction and closed-loop navigation. Results show that SI improves trajectory prediction - reducing errors by up to 76% in low-density settings - and enhances safety and motion smoothness in crowded scenes. Moreover, real-world deployment reveals discrepancies between open-loop metrics and closed-loop performance, as the SI model yields broader, more cautious predictions. These findings emphasize the importance of system-level evaluation and highlight the SI-MPC framework's promise for safer, more adaptive navigation in dynamic, human-populated environments.