FMitF: Track I: Abstraction Refinement-guided Program Synthesis for Verifiable Robot Learning

NSF Award Search · 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT · $899,109 · view on nsf.gov ↗

Abstract

This project advances science at the intersection of robotics, artificial intelligence, and formal verification to enable reliable and transparent robot behavior in real-world settings. As robots increasingly assist with complex tasks—from warehouse logistics to supporting independent living—ensuring their safe and trustworthy operation is essential. However, state-of-the-art robot learning methods, such as deep reinforcement learning, rely heavily on opaque neural network controllers that are difficult to interpret, verify, and generalize, limiting their use in safety-critical domains. This research addresses these challenges by developing a new class of interpretable control programs, written in domain-specific languages with automatically-inferred domain knowledge. These programs enable robots to reason over long-term goals, adapt to novel environments, and be certified as safe before deployment. Through this approach, the project aims to improve both the efficiency and reliability of real-world robotic systems. The main contributions of this project are new algorithms for the synthesis and verification of robot-control programs, grounded in formal methods, to support transparent and trustworthy robot learning. The proposed approach synthesizes high-level symbolic programs from low-level reward functions or task specifications in continuous, high-dimensional environments. At its core is abstraction refinement, which automatically generates and iteratively improves symbo

Key facts

NSF award ID
2525293
Awardee
Rutgers University New Brunswick (NJ)
SAM.gov UEI
M1LVPE5GLSD9
PI
He Zhu
Primary program
01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
All programs
FMitF-Formal Methods in the Field
Estimated total
$899,109
Funds obligated
$899,109
Transaction type
Standard Grant
Period
09/01/2025 → 08/31/2028