# The 2025 Summer School on Optimization for Robotics
[Education]

Konstantinos Chatzilygeroudis, Shivesh Kumar, Brian Plancher, Zachary

Manchester, Enrico Mingo Hoffman, Patrick Wensing

► To cite this version:

Konstantinos Chatzilygeroudis, Shivesh Kumar, Brian Plancher, Zachary Manchester, Enrico Mingo Hoffman, et al.. The 2025 Summer School on Optimization for Robotics [Education]. IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine, 2025, 32 (4), pp.121-123. 10.1109/MRA.2025.3617606. hal-05462404

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2025 Summer School on Optimization for Robotics

Konstantinos Chatzilygeroudis, University of Patras, Greece*

Shivesh Kumar, Chalmers University, Sweden

Brian Plancher, Dartmouth College, USA & Barnard College, Columbia University, USA

Zachary Manchester, Carnegie Mellon University, USA

Enrico Mingo Hoffman, INRIA Nancy Grand-Est, France

Patrick Wensing, University of Notre Dame, USA

*Primary Contact: [costashatz@upatras.gr](mailto:costashatz@upatras.gr)

The 2025 Summer School on Optimization for Robotics took place July 14-18, 2025 at the University of Patras in Patras, Greece. The event brought together researchers, students, and practitioners from across the world to learn, exchange ideas, and gain hands-on experience at the forefront of optimization methods for robotics. Overall, we had 89 total participants (~7% Undergraduate, ~8% Industry/Engineer/Faculty, ~18% Masters, ~66% PhD) from more than 20 countries spanning 4 continents.

The week-long program featured a balanced mix of lectures, plenary talks, daily practical sessions, live demos, and social activities. The lectures covered foundational and advanced topics in optimization for planning, control, and learning in robotics, while the plenary speakers provided broad perspectives on emerging research directions and industrial applications. Overall participants really enjoyed the program leaving feedback including:

* "Everything was perfect. Thank you so much for this opportunity."

* "Truly, I do not have a single complaint. Everything was excellent!"

* "I am sincerely grateful for all the effort that was put into making this summer school such a valuable and memorable experience!"

* "The summer school could last a little longer;)"

Lectures and Plenary Talks

The summer school featured an impressive lineup of lecturers from leading researchers in the field of optimization for robotics. These lectures scaffolded learners and helped them grow from the basics to advanced topics at the forefront of current research. These included:

* *Introduction to Optimization I and II* and *Introduction to Reinforcement Learning* by Konstantinos Chatzilygeroudis of University of Patras

* *Introduction to Robotics & Dynamics* by Shivesh Kumar of Chalmers University

* *Introduction to Trajectory Optimization and Numerical Optimal Control I and II* by Brian Plancher of Dartmouth College and Barnard College

* *Real-Time Model-Predictive Control for Robotics* by Enrico Mingo Hoffman of INRIA Nancy Grand-Est

* *Combining Reinforcement Learning and Optimal Control* by Andrea Del Prete of the University of Trento
* *Differentiable Simulation for Robotics* and *State Estimation for Robotics* by Zachary Manchester at Carnegie Mellon University

Plenary speakers shared their insights on the current state and future of optimization in robotics. Their talks provided inspiration and context, highlighting both theoretical advances and impactful applications in robotics and beyond. These included:

* *Versatile and Dynamic Legged Robots: From Hardware Design to Control Algorithms* by Hae-Won Park of Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST)

* *Resilient Multi-modal Perception* by Kostas Alexis of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

* *The New Human Centered Robotics Team at Inria Nancy: from Humanoids to Exoskeletons* by Serena Ivaldi of INRIA Nancy Grand-Est

## Practicals and Hands-On Activities

A defining feature of the school was the emphasis on hands-on learning. Each day included practical sessions that progressively built up from basic implementations to advanced applications. Participants first gained experience with classical algorithms in simulation, then advanced to controlling pendulum systems (some of which were hosted on the cloud), and ultimately applied their knowledge on real quadrotor hardware. These sessions reinforced the theory from lectures and provided invaluable experience bridging algorithms and real-world robotics. These included:

* Swingup control of a torque limited simple pendulum and underactuated double pendulum (acrobot & pendubot) by Shivesh Kumar

* Geometric LQR based hovering control of a Crazyflie UAV by Konstantinos Chatzilygeroudis

* State Estimation by Zachary Manchester

* Continuous Actor-Critic with Trajectory Optimization (CACTO) by Andrea del Prete

* Linear Optimal Control and MPC using Linear Inverted Pendulum Model by Enrico Mingo Hoffman

* Optimization and Reinforcement Learning by Konstantinos Chatzilygeroudis

## Social Program and Networking

In addition to the technical program, the summer school included a set of social events designed to foster networking, informal discussions, and community building among participants. The week began with a **welcome party at the venue**, where attendees had the chance to meet one another in a relaxed setting, setting the tone for a collaborative week. Midway through the school, participants enjoyed a **group dinner at a beautiful location overlooking the city of Patras**. The stunning view, excellent food, and lively conversations made the evening a highlight of the week.
<figure><img src="image_2.png" /><figcaption>Figure 1: Summer School Dinner</figcaption></figure>

The program concluded with a **farewell party at the venue**, where participants celebrated the end of an intense but rewarding week of learning and exchange. These events played a key role in cultivating an inclusive and friendly atmosphere, ensuring that participants left not only with new knowledge, but also with a strong international network of peers and mentors.

<figure><img src="image_3.png" /><figcaption>Figure 2: Summer School Group Photo</figcaption></figure>
## Logistics and Volunteer Support

The success of the summer school was also due to the dedicated support provided to participants beyond the lecture halls. A team of **25 student volunteers** (from the local University of Patras, but also from Texas A&M) assisted throughout the week, helping with registration, practical sessions, and day-to-day logistics, while also serving as local guides for participants. To make travel as smooth as possible, **organized buses were provided to and from the Athens International Airport**, ensuring convenient and reliable transportation. In addition, participants received **free tickets for the Patras city bus** network, making it easy to move around the city during the week. These efforts greatly enhanced the participant experience, allowing everyone to focus fully on the academic and social aspects of the school.

<figure><img src="image_4.png" /><figcaption>Figure 3: Live Demo of Quadruped Locomotion</figcaption></figure>

## Support and Acknowledgments

The 2025 summer school was made possible thanks to strong support from numerous academic and industrial partners. Their contributions ensured access to facilities, hardware, and teaching resources, and their participation enriched discussions on the translation of cutting-edge optimization methods into practice. Our sponsors were as follows:

* Diamond Sponsors: IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, Google Deep Mind

* Platinum Sponsors: euROBIN

* Gold Sponsors: bitcraze

* Bronze Sponsors: University of Patras, Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratory, CubeMars, Knowledge, Kotronis Packaging, Versatile Robotics

## Summary

The 2025 Summer School on Optimization for Robotics successfully combined deep technical content, hands-on practical training, and opportunities for community building. Participants left
with not only a stronger foundation in optimization methods but also a network of peers and
mentors to carry forward into their future research. We look forward to co-organizing a future
optimization for robotics summer school in the coming years.

Link to lectures and material from the school:

https://www.tcoptrob.org/summer-school-2025/#slides-and-other-material

<figure><img src="image_5.png" /><figcaption>Figure 4: Hardware Sessions</figcaption></figure>