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Main Authors: de Giuli, Laura Boca, La Bella, Alessio, Prajapat, Manish, Köhler, Johannes, Scampicchio, Anna, Scattolini, Riccardo, Zeilinger, Melanie
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.12542
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author de Giuli, Laura Boca
La Bella, Alessio
Prajapat, Manish
Köhler, Johannes
Scampicchio, Anna
Scattolini, Riccardo
Zeilinger, Melanie
author_facet de Giuli, Laura Boca
La Bella, Alessio
Prajapat, Manish
Köhler, Johannes
Scampicchio, Anna
Scattolini, Riccardo
Zeilinger, Melanie
contents A key challenge in learning-based model predictive control (MPC) is to collect informative data online for model adaptation while ensuring safety and without penalising control performance. In this paper, we propose an online model adaptation scheme embedded within an MPC framework in which the last-layer parameters of a recurrent neural network are recursively updated via Bayesian learning. This is achieved by means of a goal-oriented safe active learning algorithm that alternates between an exploration phase, where the MPC actively explores system dynamics to collect informative data for model adaptation while still pursuing the main control objective, and a goal-reaching phase, where it focuses exclusively on the main control objective. The algorithm is complemented with theoretical guarantees of (i) recursive feasibility, (ii) safety, (iii) termination of exploration in finite time, and (iv) close-to-optimal performance. Simulation results on a benchmark energy system demonstrate that the proposed framework achieves economic performance comparable to that of an MPC with full system knowledge, while progressively improving model accuracy and respecting operational safety constraints with high probability.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_12542
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Goal-oriented safe active learning for predictive control using Bayesian recurrent neural networks
de Giuli, Laura Boca
La Bella, Alessio
Prajapat, Manish
Köhler, Johannes
Scampicchio, Anna
Scattolini, Riccardo
Zeilinger, Melanie
Systems and Control
A key challenge in learning-based model predictive control (MPC) is to collect informative data online for model adaptation while ensuring safety and without penalising control performance. In this paper, we propose an online model adaptation scheme embedded within an MPC framework in which the last-layer parameters of a recurrent neural network are recursively updated via Bayesian learning. This is achieved by means of a goal-oriented safe active learning algorithm that alternates between an exploration phase, where the MPC actively explores system dynamics to collect informative data for model adaptation while still pursuing the main control objective, and a goal-reaching phase, where it focuses exclusively on the main control objective. The algorithm is complemented with theoretical guarantees of (i) recursive feasibility, (ii) safety, (iii) termination of exploration in finite time, and (iv) close-to-optimal performance. Simulation results on a benchmark energy system demonstrate that the proposed framework achieves economic performance comparable to that of an MPC with full system knowledge, while progressively improving model accuracy and respecting operational safety constraints with high probability.
title Goal-oriented safe active learning for predictive control using Bayesian recurrent neural networks
topic Systems and Control
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.12542