Nonlinear MPC

MPC: Model Predictive Control

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Overview

NMPC plans a sequence of control actions by predicting how a nonlinear system will evolve, applying the first action, and replanning as new measurements arrive. Common approaches solve the resulting optimization with methods such as sequential quadratic or convex programming, while sampling-based methods explore candidate action sequences; learned models and reduced-order dynamics can make prediction more practical. Safety and robustness are addressed with tools including control barrier functions, reachability bounds, uncertainty-aware constraint tightening, and state estimation. A central challenge is achieving fast, feasible optimization with useful prediction horizons while retaining reliable constraint satisfaction under model error, disturbances, and changing environments.

Latest papers

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82 papers12 papers in the last four weeks, up 140% on the four weeks before. 0.1% of all new papers.

  1. Sampling-Based Control via Entropy-Regularized Optimal Transport

    May 4, 2026Vincent Pacelli, Akash Ratheesh, Evangelos A. TheodorouRobotic ControlNonlinear MPC

    Autonomous Control and Decision Systems Laboratory Georgia Institute of Technology

  2. Sensitivity-Based Tube NMPC for Cooperative Aerial Structures Under Parametric Uncertainty

    Apr 28, 2026Giuseppe Silano, Quentin Sablé, Marco Tognon +2Aerial RoboticsNonlinear MPC

    Ricerca sul Sistema Energetico S.p.A., Milan, Italy, and Czech Technical University, Prague, Czechia · University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands · University of Rennes, CNRS, Inria, IRISA, 35042, France +2

  3. Exploiting Differential Flatness for Efficient Learning-based Model Predictive Control of Constrained Multi-Input Control Affine Systems

    Apr 27, 2026Tobias A. Farger, Adam W. Hall, Angela P. SchoelligNonlinear MPCModel Predictive Control

    Learning Systems and Robotics Lab at the Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany. · Learning Systems and Robotics Lab at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) and the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Toronto, Canada

  4. Iterative Model-Learning Scheme via Gaussian Processes for Nonlinear Model Predictive Control of (Semi-)Batch Processes

    Apr 24, 2026Tai Xuan Tan, Alexander Mitsos, Eike CramerNonlinear MPCStochastic Optimal Control

    Process Systems Engineering (AVT.SVT), RWTH Aachen University, Forckenbeckstraße 51, 52074 Aachen, Germany · JARA-CSD, 52056 Aachen, Germany · Institute of Climate and Energy Systems: Energy Systems Engineering (ICE-1), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany +1

  5. HardNet++: Nonlinear Constraint Enforcement in Neural Networks

    Apr 21, 2026Andrea Goertzen, Kaveh Alim, Youngjae Min +1Nonlinear MPCNeural Network Optimization

    Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  6. DART: Learning-Enhanced Model Predictive Control for Dual-Arm Non-Prehensile Manipulation

    Apr 20, 2026Autrio Das, Shreya Bollimuntha, Madala Venkata Renu Jeevesh +5Non-Prehensile Robotic ManipulationBimanual Robotic Manipulation

  7. Safe Large-Scale Robust Nonlinear MPC in Milliseconds via Reachability-Constrained System Level Synthesis on the GPU

    Apr 8, 2026Jeffrey Fang, Glen ChouRobotic ControlNonlinear MPC

    Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30308

  8. Safety-Critical Centralized Nonlinear MPC for Cooperative Payload Transportation by Two Quadrupedal Robots

    Apr 3, 2026Ruturaj S. Sambhus, Yicheng Zeng, Kapi Ketan Mehta +2Multi-Robot Cargo TransportationNonlinear MPC

    R.S. Sambhus, Y. Zeng, K. K. Mehta, and K. Akbari Hamed are with the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA · J. Kim is with The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA

  9. Koopman-Based Nonlinear Identification and Model Predictive Control of a Turbofan Engine

    Apr 2, 2026David GrasevAdaptive MPCExtended Dynamic Mode Decomposition

    Department of Aviation Technology, University of Defence, Brno, Czech Republic.

  10. Stein Variational Uncertainty-Adaptive Model Predictive Control

    Apr 1, 2026Hrishikesh Sathyanarayan, Ian AbrahamModel Predictive ControlNonlinear MPC

    Department of Mechanical Engineering, Yale University, USA · Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Sydney, Australia

  11. Model Predictive Path Integral PID Control for Learning-Based Path Following

    Mar 31, 2026Teruki Kato, Koshi Oishi, Seigo ItoNonlinear MPCResidual Dynamics Learning

    Toyota Central R&D Labs., Inc., Nagakute 480-1192, Japan

  12. Communications-Aware NMPC for Multi-Rotor Aerial Relay Networks Under Jamming Interference

    Mar 30, 2026Giuseppe Silano, Daniel Bonilla Licea, Davide Liuzza +2UAV Trajectory OptimizationWireless Communications

    Department of Power Generation Technologies and Materials, Ricerca sul Sistema Energetico S.p.A., 20134 Milan, Italy. · Department of Cybernetics, Czech Technical University in Prague, 12135 Prague, Czech Republic. · College of Computing, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, 11103, Morocco. +2

  13. Towards Safe Learning-Based Non-Linear Model Predictive Control through Recurrent Neural Network Modeling

    Mar 25, 2026Mihaela-Larisa Clement, Mónika Farsang, Agnes Poks +4Nonlinear MPCModel Predictive Control

    Institute of Computer Engineering, TU Wien, Vienna, Austria · AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Vienna, Austria · Institute of Mechanics and Mechatronics, TU Wien, Vienna, Austria

  14. Physicochemical-Neural Fusion for Semi-Closed-Circuit Respiratory Autonomy in Extreme Environments

    Mar 16, 2026Phillip Kingston, Nicholas JohnstonSafety-Critical ControlNonlinear MPC

    Member of Technical Staff, Galactic Bioware

  15. Flight through Narrow Gaps with Morphing-Wing Drones

    Mar 12, 2026Julius Wanner, Hoang-Vu Phan, Charbel Toumieh +1Aerial RoboticsTrajectory Optimization

    Laboratory of Intelligent Systems, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland · Avian-Insect Robotics in Motion Laboratory, University of Nevada, Reno, USA

  16. SEP-NMPC: Safety Enhanced Passivity-Based Nonlinear Model Predictive Control for a UAV Slung Payload System

    Mar 9, 2026Seyedreza Rezaei, Junjie Kang, Amaldev Haridevan +1Nonlinear MPCQuadrotor Control

    Department of Earth and Space Science and Engineering, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada

  17. Nonlinear Predictive Control of the Continuum and Hybrid Dynamics of a Suspended Deformable Cable for Aerial Pick and Place

    Feb 19, 2026Antonio Rapuano, Yaolei Shen, Federico Califano +2Aerial ManipulationAerial Robotics

    Department of Computer, Control and Management Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy. · Robotics and Mechatronics Department, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, and Computer Science (EEMCS) Faculty, University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands.

  18. SIT-LMPC: Safe Information-Theoretic Learning Model Predictive Control for Iterative Tasks

    Feb 18, 2026Zirui Zang, Ahmad Amine, Nick-Marios T. Kokolakis +3Iterative Learning ControlModel Predictive Control

    University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA · Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA · Lyric, Italia 152 Catania Italy

  19. Fluoroscopy-Constrained Magnetic Robot Control via Zernike-Based Field Modeling and Nonlinear MPC

    Feb 17, 2026Xinhao Chen, Hongkun Yao, Anuruddha Bhattacharjee +4Robotic ControlSurgical Robotics

    Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA. · Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA. · Division of Magnetic Manipulation and Particle Research, Weinberg Medical Physics, MD 20852, USA.

  20. TriphiBot: A Triphibious Robot Combining FOC-based Propulsion with Eccentric Design

    Feb 1, 2026Xiangyu Li, Tiancheng Lai, Mingwei Lai +6Aerial RoboticsNonlinear MPC

    State Key Laboratory of Industrial Control Technology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China · Huzhou Institute of Zhejiang University, Huzhou 313000, China · Hainan Red Tower Cigarette Co., Ltd., Hainan 571100, China

  21. A Convex Obstacle Avoidance Formulation

    Dec 15, 2025Ricardo Tapia, Iman SoltaniCollision AvoidanceNonlinear MPC

    Laboratory for AI, Robotics and Automation, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616 USA

  22. RVC-NMPC: Nonlinear Model Predictive Control with Reciprocal Velocity Constraints for Mutual Collision Avoidance in Agile UAV Flight

    Dec 9, 2025Vit Kratky, Robert Penicka, Parakh M. Gupta +2Multi-Robot Motion PlanningNonlinear MPC

    Department of Cybernetics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Czech Republic

  23. Observed Control - Linearly Scalable Nonlinear Model Predictive Control with Adaptive Horizons

    Aug 18, 2025Eugene T. Hamzezadeh, Andrew J. PetruskaNonlinear MPCModel Predictive Control

    Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401, USA