UniGraspTransformer: Simplified Policy Distillation for Scalable Dexterous Robotic Grasping

We introduce UniGraspTransformer, a universal Transformer-based network for dexterous robotic grasping that simplifies training while enhancing scalability and performance. Unlike prior methods such as UniDexGrasp++, which require complex, multi-step training pipelines, UniGraspTransformer follows a streamlined process: first, dedicated policy networks are trained for individual objects using reinforcement learning to generate successful grasp trajectories; then, these trajectories are distilled into a single, universal network. Our approach enables UniGraspTransformer to scale effectively, incorporating up to 12 self-attention blocks for handling thousands of objects with diverse poses. Additionally, it generalizes well to both idealized and real-world inputs, evaluated in state-based and vision-based settings. Notably, UniGraspTransformer generates a broader range of grasping poses for objects in various shapes and orientations, resulting in more diverse grasp strategies. Experimental results demonstrate significant improvements over state-of-the-art, UniDexGrasp++, across various object categories, achieving success rate gains of 3.5%, 7.7%, and 10.1% on seen objects, unseen objects within seen categories, and completely unseen objects, respectively, in the vision-based setting. Project page: https://dexhand.github.io/UniGraspTransformer.

Independent Feature Enhanced Crossmodal Fusion for Match-Mismatch Classification of Speech Stimulus and EEG Response

It is crucial for auditory attention decoding to classify matched and mismatched speech stimuli with corresponding EEG responses by exploring their relationship. However, existing methods often adopt two independent networks to encode speech stimulus and EEG response, which neglect the relationship between these signals from the two modalities. In this paper, we propose an independent feature enhanced crossmodal fusion model (IFE-CF) for match-mismatch classification, which leverages the fusion feature of the speech stimulus and the EEG response to achieve auditory EEG decoding. Specifically, our IFE-CF contains a crossmodal encoder to encode the speech stimulus and the EEG response with a two-branch structure connected via crossmodal attention mechanism in the encoding process, a multi-channel fusion module to fuse features of two modalities by aggregating the interaction feature obtained from the crossmodal encoder and the independent feature obtained from the speech stimulus and EEG response, and a predictor to give the matching result. In addition, the causal mask is introduced to consider the time delay of the speech-EEG pair in the crossmodal encoder, which further enhances the feature representation for match-mismatch classification. Experiments demonstrate our method's effectiveness with better classification accuracy, as compared with the baseline of the Auditory EEG Decoding Challenge 2023.

Gaussian Garments: Reconstructing Simulation-Ready Clothing with Photorealistic Appearance from Multi-View Video

We introduce Gaussian Garments, a novel approach for reconstructing realistic simulation-ready garment assets from multi-view videos. Our method represents garments with a combination of a 3D mesh and a Gaussian texture that encodes both the color and high-frequency surface details. This representation enables accurate registration of garment geometries to multi-view videos and helps disentangle albedo textures from lighting effects. Furthermore, we demonstrate how a pre-trained graph neural network (GNN) can be fine-tuned to replicate the real behavior of each garment. The reconstructed Gaussian Garments can be automatically combined into multi-garment outfits and animated with the fine-tuned GNN.

A Reference-free Metric for Language-Queried Audio Source Separation using Contrastive Language-Audio Pretraining

Language-queried audio source separation (LASS) aims to separate an audio source guided by a text query, with the signal-to-distortion ratio (SDR)-based metrics being commonly used to objectively measure the quality of the separated audio. However, the SDR-based metrics require a reference signal, which is often difficult to obtain in real-world scenarios. In addition, with the SDR-based metrics, the content information of the text query is not considered effectively in LASS. This paper introduces a reference-free evaluation metric using a contrastive language-audio pretraining (CLAP) module, termed CLAPScore, which measures the semantic similarity between the separated audio and the text query. Unlike SDR, the proposed CLAPScore metric evaluates the quality of the separated audio based on the content information of the text query, without needing a reference signal. Experimental results show that the CLAPScore metric provides an effective evaluation of the semantic relevance of the separated audio to the text query, as compared to the SDR metric, offering an alternative for the performance evaluation of LASS systems.

Sparse Attention-driven Quality Prediction for Production Process Optimization in Digital Twins

In the process industry, optimizing production lines for long-term efficiency requires real-time monitoring and analysis of operation states to fine-tune production line parameters. However, the complexity in operational logic and the intricate coupling of production process parameters make it difficult to develop an accurate mathematical model for the entire process, thus hindering the deployment of efficient optimization mechanisms. In view of these difficulties, we propose to deploy a digital twin of the production line by digitally abstracting its physical layout and operational logic. By iteratively mapping the real-world data reflecting equipment operation status and product quality inspection in the digital twin, we adopt a quality prediction model for production process based on self-attention-enabled temporal convolutional neural networks. This model enables the data-driven state evolution of the digital twin. The digital twin takes a role of aggregating the information of actual operating conditions and the results of quality-sensitive analysis, which facilitates the optimization of process production quality with virtual-reality evolution under multi-dimensional constraints. Leveraging the digital twin model as an information-flow carrier, we extract temporal features from key process indicators and establish a production process quality prediction model based on the proposed composite neural network. Our operation experiments on a specific tobacco shredding line demonstrate that the proposed digital twin-based production process optimization method fosters seamless integration between virtual and real production lines. This integration achieves an average operating status prediction accuracy of over 98\% and near-optimal production process control.

CourseGPT-zh: an Educational Large Language Model Based on Knowledge Distillation Incorporating Prompt Optimization

Large language models (LLMs) have demonstrated astonishing capabilities in natural language processing (NLP) tasks, sparking interest in their application to professional domains with higher specialized requirements. However, restricted access to closed-source LLMs via APIs and the difficulty in collecting massive high-quality datasets pose obstacles to the development of large language models in education fields of various courses. Given these challenges, we propose CourseGPT-zh, a course-oriented education LLM that supports customization and low-cost deployment. To address the comprehensiveness and diversity requirements of course-specific corpora, we design a high-quality question-answering corpus distillation framework incorporating prompt optimization, which effectively mines textbook knowledge and enhances its diversity. Moreover, considering the alignment of LLM responses with user needs, a novel method for discrete prompt optimization based on LLM-as-Judge is introduced. During optimization, this framework leverages the LLM's ability to reflect on and exploit error feedback and patterns, allowing for prompts that meet user needs and preferences while saving response length. Lastly, we obtain CourseGPT-zh based on the open-source LLM using parameter-efficient fine-tuning. Experimental results show that our discrete prompt optimization framework effectively improves the response quality of ChatGPT, and CourseGPT-zh exhibits strong professional capabilities in specialized knowledge question-answering, significantly outperforming comparable open-source models.

4D-DRESS: A 4D Dataset of Real-world Human Clothing with Semantic Annotations

The studies of human clothing for digital avatars have predominantly relied on synthetic datasets. While easy to collect, synthetic data often fall short in realism and fail to capture authentic clothing dynamics. Addressing this gap, we introduce 4D-DRESS, the first real-world 4D dataset advancing human clothing research with its high-quality 4D textured scans and garment meshes. 4D-DRESS captures 64 outfits in 520 human motion sequences, amounting to 78k textured scans. Creating a real-world clothing dataset is challenging, particularly in annotating and segmenting the extensive and complex 4D human scans. To address this, we develop a semi-automatic 4D human parsing pipeline. We efficiently combine a human-in-the-loop process with automation to accurately label 4D scans in diverse garments and body movements. Leveraging precise annotations and high-quality garment meshes, we establish several benchmarks for clothing simulation and reconstruction. 4D-DRESS offers realistic and challenging data that complements synthetic sources, paving the way for advancements in research of lifelike human clothing. Website: https://ait.ethz.ch/4d-dress.

Joint Beam Scheduling and Power Optimization for Beam Hopping LEO Satellite Systems

Low earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications can provide ubiquitous and reliable services, making it an essential part of the Internet of Everything network. Beam hopping (BH) is an emerging technology for effectively addressing the issue of low resource utilization caused by the non-uniform spatio-temporal distribution of traffic demands. However, how to allocate multi-dimensional resources in a timely and efficient way for the highly dynamic LEO satellite systems remains a challenge. This paper proposes a joint beam scheduling and power optimization beam hopping (JBSPO-BH) algorithm considering the differences in the geographic distribution of sink nodes. The JBSPO-BH algorithm decouples the original problem into two sub-problems. The beam scheduling problem is modelled as a potential game, and the Nash equilibrium (NE) point is obtained as the beam scheduling strategy. Moreover, the penalty function interior point method is applied to optimize the power allocation. Simulation results show that the JBSPO-BH algorithm has low time complexity and fast convergence and achieves better performance both in throughput and fairness. Compared with greedy-based BH, greedy-based BH with the power optimization, round-robin BH, Max-SINR BH and satellite resource allocation algorithm, the throughput of the proposed algorithm is improved by 44.99%, 20.79%, 156.06%, 15.39% and 8.17%, respectively.

TranDRL: A Transformer-Driven Deep Reinforcement Learning Enabled Prescriptive Maintenance Framework

Industrial systems demand reliable predictive maintenance strategies to enhance operational efficiency and reduce downtime. This paper introduces a novel, integrated framework that leverages the power of transformer neural networks and deep reinforcement learning (DRL) algorithms to optimize maintenance actions. Our approach employs the transformer model to effectively capture complex temporal patterns in sensor data, thereby accurately predicting the Remaining Useful Life (RUL) of equipment. Simultaneously, the DRL component of our framework provides cost-effective and timely maintenance recommendations. We validate the efficacy of our framework on the NASA C-MPASS dataset, where it demonstrates significant advancements in both RUL prediction accuracy and the optimization of maintenance actions. Consequently, our pioneering approach provides an innovative data-driven methodology for prescriptive maintenance, addressing key challenges in industrial operations and leading the way to more efficient, cost-effective, and reliable systems.

TRTM: Template-based Reconstruction and Target-oriented Manipulation of Crumpled Cloths

Precisely reconstructing and manipulating crumpled cloths is challenging due to the high dimensionality of the cloth model, as well as the limited observation at self-occluded regions. We leverage the recent progress in the field of single-view human body reconstruction to template-based reconstruct the crumpled cloths from their top-view depth observations only, with our proposed sim-real registration protocols. In contrast to previous implicit cloth representations, our reconstruction mesh explicitly indicates the positions and visibilities of the entire cloth mesh vertices, enabling more efficient dual-arm and single-arm target-oriented manipulations. Experiments demonstrate that our template-based reconstruction and target-oriented manipulation (TRTM) system can be applied to daily cloths with similar topologies as our template mesh, but have different shapes, sizes, patterns, and physical properties. Videos, datasets, pre-trained models, and code can be downloaded from our project website: https://wenbwa.github.io/TRTM/.