papers

Publications (10)

cs.LG2026

Global Convergence of Sampling-Based Nonconvex Optimization through Diffusion-Style Smoothing

Zeji Yi, Chaoyi Pan, Guanya Shi +1

Sampling-based optimization (SBO), like cross-entropy method and evolutionary algorithms, has achieved many successes in solving non-convex problems without gradients, yet its conv…

cs.RO2025

ASAP: Aligning Simulation and Real-World Physics for Learning Agile Humanoid Whole-Body Skills

Tairan He, Jiawei Gao, Wenli Xiao +15

Humanoid robots hold the potential for unparalleled versatility in performing human-like, whole-body skills. However, achieving agile and coordinated whole-body motions remains a s…

cs.RO2026

Whole-Body Model-Predictive Control of Legged Robots with MuJoCo

John Z. Zhang, Taylor A. Howell, Zeji Yi +6

We demonstrate the surprising real-world effectiveness of a very simple approach to whole-body model-predictive control (MPC) of quadruped and humanoid robots: the iterative LQR (i…

cs.LG2024

Safe Bayesian Optimization for the Control of High-Dimensional Embodied Systems

Yunyue Wei, Zeji Yi, Hongda Li +2

Learning to move is a primary goal for animals and robots, where ensuring safety is often important when optimizing control policies on the embodied systems. For complex tasks such…

cs.HC2023

Adaptive Learning based Upper-Limb Rehabilitation Training System with Collaborative Robot

Jun Hong Lim, Kaibo He, Zeji Yi +4

Rehabilitation training for patients with motor disabilities usually requires specialized devices in rehabilitation centers. Home-based multi-purpose training would significantly i…

eess.SY2019

Nonlinear Covariance Control via Differential Dynamic Programming

Zeji Yi, Zhefeng Cao, Evangelos Theodorou +1

We consider covariance control problems for nonlinear stochastic systems. Our objective is to find an optimal control strategy to steer the state from an initial distribution to a…

cs.LG2024

CoVO-MPC: Theoretical Analysis of Sampling-based MPC and Optimal Covariance Design

Zeji Yi, Chaoyi Pan, Guanqi He +2

Sampling-based Model Predictive Control (MPC) has been a practical and effective approach in many domains, notably model-based reinforcement learning, thanks to its flexibility and…

cs.LG2024

Improving sample efficiency of high dimensional Bayesian optimization with MCMC

Zeji Yi, Yunyue Wei, Chu Xin Cheng +2

Sequential optimization methods are often confronted with the curse of dimensionality in high-dimensional spaces. Current approaches under the Gaussian process framework are still…

cs.RO2024

Full-Order Sampling-Based MPC for Torque-Level Locomotion Control via Diffusion-Style Annealing

Haoru Xue, Chaoyi Pan, Zeji Yi +2

Due to high dimensionality and non-convexity, real-time optimal control using full-order dynamics models for legged robots is challenging. Therefore, Nonlinear Model Predictive Con…

cs.RO2024

Model-Based Diffusion for Trajectory Optimization

Chaoyi Pan, Zeji Yi, Guanya Shi +1

Recent advances in diffusion models have demonstrated their strong capabilities in generating high-fidelity samples from complex distributions through an iterative refinement proce…