# Easy-IIL: Reducing Human Operational Burden in Interactive Imitation Learning via Assistant Experts

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.12769 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.12769/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in Imitation learning methods, one of 13 directions in Offline RL and imitation learning from data.
- Builds on 35 of its 45 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 13 Mar 2026.

## Placed in

- Offline RL and imitation learning from data / [Imitation learning methods](https://mlsanity.com/offlinerl/imitation-learning-methods/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 30 of 35)

- [Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.11239/) (2020)
- [Diffusion Policy: Visuomotor Policy Learning via Action Diffusion](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.04137/) (2023)
- [Learning Fine-Grained Bimanual Manipulation with Low-Cost Hardware](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.13705/) (2023)
- [SuperPoint: Self-Supervised Interest Point Detection and Description](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1712.07629/) (2017)
- [Grounded SAM: Assembling Open-World Models for Diverse Visual Tasks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.14159/) (2024)
- [End-to-End Training of Deep Visuomotor Policies](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1504.00702/) (2015)
- [RLBench: The Robot Learning Benchmark & Learning Environment](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1909.12271/) (2019)
- [LightGlue: Local Feature Matching at Light Speed](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.13643/) (2023)
- [MimicGen: A Data Generation System for Scalable Robot Learning using Human Demonstrations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.17596/) (2023)
- [Deep Imitation Learning for Complex Manipulation Tasks from Virtual Reality Teleoperation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1710.04615/) (2017)
- [HG-DAgger: Interactive Imitation Learning with Human Experts](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1810.02890/) (2018)
- [GELLO: A General, Low-Cost, and Intuitive Teleoperation Framework for Robot Manipulators](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.13037/) (2023)
- [Human-in-the-Loop Imitation Learning using Remote Teleoperation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2012.06733/) (2020)
- [ThriftyDAgger: Budget-Aware Novelty and Risk Gating for Interactive Imitation Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2109.08273/) (2021)
- [Robot Learning on the Job: Human-in-the-Loop Autonomy and Learning During Deployment](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.08416/) (2022)
- [EnsembleDAgger: A Bayesian Approach to Safe Imitation Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1807.08364/) (2018)
- [DemoGen: Synthetic Demonstration Generation for Data-Efficient Visuomotor Policy Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.16932/) (2025)
- [SkillMimicGen: Automated Demonstration Generation for Efficient Skill Learning and Deployment](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.18907/) (2024)
- [DINOBot: Robot Manipulation via Retrieval and Alignment with Vision Foundation Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.13181/) (2024)
- [Real2Render2Real: Scaling Robot Data Without Dynamics Simulation or Robot Hardware](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.09601/) (2025)
- [Model-Based Runtime Monitoring with Interactive Imitation Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.17552/) (2023)
- [DenseMatcher: Learning 3D Semantic Correspondence for Category-Level Manipulation from a Single Demo](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.05268/) (2024)
- [Diff-DAgger: Uncertainty Estimation with Diffusion Policy for Robotic Manipulation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.14868/) (2024)
- [Fleet-DAgger: Interactive Robot Fleet Learning with Scalable Human Supervision](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2206.14349/) (2022)
- [RLIF: Interactive Imitation Learning as Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.12996/) (2023)
- [DITTO: Demonstration Imitation by Trajectory Transformation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.15203/) (2024)
- [CyberDemo: Augmenting Simulated Human Demonstration for Real-World Dexterous Manipulation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.14795/) (2024)
- [Correct Me if I am Wrong: Interactive Learning for Robotic Manipulation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2110.03316/) (2021)
- [Learning Multi-Stage Tasks with One Demonstration via Self-Replay](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.07447/) (2021)
- [One-Shot Imitation Learning: A Pose Estimation Perspective](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.12077/) (2023)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Interactive Imitation Learning (IIL) typically relies on extensive human involvement for both offline demonstration and online interaction. Prior work primarily focuses on reducing human effort in passive monitoring rather than active operation. Notably, structured model-based imitation approaches achieve comparable performance with significantly fewer demonstrations than end-to-end imitation learning policies in the low-data regime. However, these methods are typically surpassed by end-to-end policies as the data increases. Leveraging this insight, we propose Easy-IIL, a framework that utilizes off-the-shelf model-based imitation methods as an assistant expert to replace active human operation for the majority of data collection. The human expert only provides a single demonstration to initialize the assistant expert and intervenes in critical states where the task is approaching failure. Furthermore, Easy-IIL can maintain IIL performance by preserving both offline and online data quality. Extensive simulation and real-world experiments demonstrate that Easy-IIL significantly reduces human operational burden while maintaining performance comparable to mainstream IIL baselines. User studies further confirm that Easy-IIL reduces subjective workload on the human expert.