arXiv subjects

Haonan Zhao

Publications and source records attributed to Haonan Zhao.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

VT-MUSE: Multimodal Unified Sequential Visuotactile Representation Learning for Manipulation

We propose VT-MUSE, a Multimodal Unified SEquential representation learning framework for visuotactilemanipulation. Existing approaches often encode visual and tactile observations independently before fusion, limiting their ability to capture fine-grained cross-modal dependencies. Moreover, most methods focus on observations at the current time step and overlook the temporal evolution of contact. VT-MUSE addresses both limitations through a two-stage representation learning framework. In Stage I, modality specific encoders are jointly adapted via cross-modal temporal alignment and masked-view consistency. In Stage II, a conditional variational latent model processes masked visual sequences together with full tactile histories. Auxiliary decoders reconstruct the masked recent visual observations and predict tactile depth changes, encouraging the latent representation to retain both global visual context and local contact dynamics. The learned representation is subsequently integrated into a lightweight Transformer policy through gated cross-attention. On the simulation benchmark, VT-MUSE outperforms the strongest baseline evaluated on all tasks by 11 percentage points and also achieves substantial improvements in real-world experiments.

cs.RO↗

arXiv2026

Why Struggle with Continuous Latents? Interpretable Discrete Latent Reasoning via Rendered Compression

Large language models achieve high reasoning performance via explicit chain-of-thought and reinforcement learning, but require long output sequences and extended inference time. Latent reasoning reduces this cost by shifting computation into a latent space; however, continuous latent methods are hard to train, suffering from unstable and uninterpretable reasoning trajectories. We argue these issues stem from a misalignment between continuous-space reasoning and discrete symbolic supervision, as continuous states lack explicit anchors for step-by-step alignment. To resolve this, we propose \textbf{Discrete Latent Reasoning~(DLR)}, the first method that converts continuous latent states into explicit discrete tokens. Inspired by render-based compression, we render textual chains of thought into images, extract visual features, and construct a discrete latent vocabulary via clustering-based fine-tuning. Expanding the vocabulary and output head enables standard autoregressive modeling over both natural language and latent tokens, supporting pretraining alignment, SFT, and RL. Experiments on five reasoning benchmarks and two model series~(Qwen3-VL and LLaMA-3) confirm that \textbf{DLR} outperforms prior latent reasoning baselines with up to \textbf{20$\times$ compression}. Furthermore, the learned latent trajectories retain an interpretable semantic structure. Overall, discrete latent tokens provide a controllable and interpretable basis for efficient latent reasoning.

cs.CL↗

arXiv2026

DriveCtrl: Conditioned Sim-to-Real Driving Video Generation

Large-scale labelled driving video data is essential for training autonomous driving systems. Although simulation offers scalable and fully annotated data, the domain gap between synthetic and real-world driving videos significantly limits its utility for downstream deployment. Existing video generation methods are not well-suited for this task, as they fail to simultaneously preserve scene structure, object dynamics, temporal consistency, and visual realism, all of which are critical for maintaining annotation validity in generated data. In this paper, we present DriveCtrl, a depth-conditioned controllable sim-to-real video generation framework for realistic driving video synthesis. Built upon a pretrained video foundation model, DriveCtrl introduces a structure-aware adapter that enables depth-guided generation while preserving the scene layout and motion patterns of the source simulation, producing temporally coherent driving videos that remain aligned with the original simulated sequences. We further introduce a scalable data generation pipeline that transforms simulator videos into realistic driving footage matching the visual style of a target real-world dataset. The pipeline supports three conditioning signals: structural depth, reference-dataset style, and text prompts, while preserving frame-level annotations for downstream perception tasks. To better assess this task, we propose a driving-domain-specific knowledge-informed evaluation metric called Driving Video Realism Score (DVRS) that assesses the realism of generated videos. Experiments demonstrate that DriveCtrl consistently outperforms the base model and competing alternatives in realism, temporal quality, and perception task performance, substantially narrowing the sim-to-real gap for driving video generation.

cs.CV↗

arXiv2026

Reflection Generation for Composite Image Using Diffusion Model

Image composition involves inserting a foreground object into the background while synthesizing environment-consistent effects such as shadows and reflections. Although shadow generation has been extensively studied, reflection generation remains largely underexplored. In this work, we focus on reflection generation. We inject the prior information of reflection placement and reflection appearance into foundation diffusion model. We also divide reflections into two types and adopt type-aware model design. To support training, we construct the first large-scale object reflection dataset DEROBA. Experiments demonstrate that our method generates reflections that are physically coherent and visually realistic, establishing a new benchmark for reflection generation.

cs.CV↗

arXiv2026

AURORA-KITTI: Any-Weather Depth Completion and Denoising in the Wild

Robust depth completion is fundamental to real-world 3D scene understanding, yet existing RGB-LiDAR fusion methods degrade significantly under adverse weather, where both camera images and LiDAR measurements suffer from weather-induced corruption. In this paper, we introduce AURORA-KITTI, the first large-scale multi-modal, multi-weather benchmark for robust depth completion in the wild. We further formulate Depth Completion and Denoising (DCD) as a unified task that jointly reconstructs a dense depth map from corrupted sparse inputs while suppressing weather-induced noise. AURORA-KITTI contains over \textit{82K} weather-consistent RGBL pairs with metric depth ground truth, spanning diverse weather types, three severity levels, day and night scenes, paired clean references, lens occlusion conditions, and textual descriptions. Moreover, we introduce DDCD, an efficient distillation-based baseline that leverages depth foundation models to inject clean structural priors into in-the-wild DCD training. DDCD achieves state-of-the-art performance on AURORA-KITTI and the real-world DENSE dataset while maintaining efficiency. Notably, our results further show that weather-aware, physically consistent data contributes more to robustness than architectural modifications alone. Data and code will be released upon publication.

cs.CV↗

arXiv2026

Numerical Computations Concerning Landau-Siegel Zeros

We computationally verify that if $L(s,\chi)$ is a quadratic Dirichlet $L$-function modulo $q \leq 10^{10}$ then $L(\sigma,\chi) \neq 0$ for real $\sigma \ge 1-1/(5\log q)$. The number of verified moduli exceeds benchmarks due to Watkins (2004), Platt (2016), and Languasco (2023) by a factor between 66 and 25,000. Our new algorithm draws from zero-free region arguments.

math.NT↗

arXiv2026

Decoupling Amplitude and Phase Attention in Frequency Domain for RGB-Event based Visual Object Tracking

Existing RGB-Event visual object tracking approaches primarily rely on conventional feature-level fusion, failing to fully exploit the unique advantages of event cameras. In particular, the high dynamic range and motion-sensitive nature of event cameras are often overlooked, while low-information regions are processed uniformly, leading to unnecessary computational overhead for the backbone network. To address these issues, we propose a novel tracking framework that performs early fusion in the frequency domain, enabling effective aggregation of high-frequency information from the event modality. Specifically, RGB and event modalities are transformed from the spatial domain to the frequency domain via the Fast Fourier Transform, with their amplitude and phase components decoupled. High-frequency event information is selectively fused into RGB modality through amplitude and phase attention, enhancing feature representation while substantially reducing backbone computation. In addition, a motion-guided spatial sparsification module leverages the motion-sensitive nature of event cameras to capture the relationship between target motion cues and spatial probability distribution, filtering out low-information regions and enhancing target-relevant features. Finally, a sparse set of target-relevant features is fed into the backbone network for learning, and the tracking head predicts the final target position. Extensive experiments on three widely used RGB-Event tracking benchmark datasets, including FE108, FELT, and COESOT, demonstrate the high performance and efficiency of our method. The source code of this paper will be released on https://github.com/Event-AHU/OpenEvTracking

cs.CV↗

arXiv2025

RAPO++: Cross-Stage Prompt Optimization for Text-to-Video Generation via Data Alignment and Test-Time Scaling

Prompt design plays a crucial role in text-to-video (T2V) generation, yet user-provided prompts are often short, unstructured, and misaligned with training data, limiting the generative potential of diffusion-based T2V models. We present \textbf{RAPO++}, a cross-stage prompt optimization framework that unifies training-data--aligned refinement, test-time iterative scaling, and large language model (LLM) fine-tuning to substantially improve T2V generation without modifying the underlying generative backbone. In \textbf{Stage 1}, Retrieval-Augmented Prompt Optimization (RAPO) enriches user prompts with semantically relevant modifiers retrieved from a relation graph and refactors them to match training distributions, enhancing compositionality and multi-object fidelity. \textbf{Stage 2} introduces Sample-Specific Prompt Optimization (SSPO), a closed-loop mechanism that iteratively refines prompts using multi-source feedback -- including semantic alignment, spatial fidelity, temporal coherence, and task-specific signals such as optical flow -- yielding progressively improved video generation quality. \textbf{Stage 3} leverages optimized prompt pairs from SSPO to fine-tune the rewriter LLM, internalizing task-specific optimization patterns and enabling efficient, high-quality prompt generation even before inference. Extensive experiments across five state-of-the-art T2V models and five benchmarks demonstrate that RAPO++ achieves significant gains in semantic alignment, compositional reasoning, temporal stability, and physical plausibility, outperforming existing methods by large margins. Our results highlight RAPO++ as a model-agnostic, cost-efficient, and scalable solution that sets a new standard for prompt optimization in T2V generation. The code is available at https://github.com/Vchitect/RAPO.

cs.CV↗

arXiv2025

AnimateScene: Camera-controllable Animation in Any Scene

Recent advances in 3D scene reconstruction and 4D human animation have broadened adoption, but integrating the two remains difficult. Key challenges include placing humans at plausible locations and scales without interpenetration, aligning lighting and style between humans and background, and handling dynamic camera trajectories. We introduce AnimateScene, a unified framework addressing these issues. First, an accurate placement module automatically determines realistic 3D positions and prevents collisions during motion. Second, we propose a training-free style alignment method that adapts the 4D human to match background illumination and appearance, achieving coherent composites. Finally, we design a joint post-reconstruction approach that incorporates camera trajectories for smooth, visually engaging motion videos. Experiments across diverse scenes and actions demonstrate that AnimateScene generates dynamic results with high geometric detail and strong spatiotemporal coherence. The project page is available at https://whynothaha.github.io/AnimateScene/AnimateScene.html.

cs.CV↗

arXiv2025

A methodology and a platform for high-quality rich personal data

In the last years the pervasive use of sensors, as they exist in smart devices, e.g., phones, watches, medical devices, has increased dramatically the availability of personal data. However, existing research on data collection primarily focuses on the objective view of reality, as provided, for instance, by sensors, often neglecting the integration of subjective human input, as provided, for instance, by user answers to questionnaires. This limits substantially the exploitability of the collected data. In this paper we present a methodology and a platform specifically designed for the collection of a combination of large-scale sensor data and qualitative human feedback. The methodology has been designed to be deployed on top, and enriches the functionalities of, an existing data collection APP, called iLog, which has been used in large scale, worldwide data collection experiments. The main goal is to put the key actors involved in an experiment, i.e., the researcher in charge, the participant, and iLog in better control of the experiment itself, thus enabling a much improved quality and richness of the data collected. The novel functionalities of the resulting platform are: (i) a time-wise representation of the situational context within which the data collection is performed, (ii) an explicit representation of the temporal context within which the data collection is performed, (iii) a calendar-based dashboard for the real-time monitoring of the data collection context(s), and, finally, (iv) a mechanism for the run-time revision of the data collection plan. The practicality and utility of the proposed functionalities are demonstrated by showing how they apply to a case study involving 350 University students.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2024

What Impacts the Quality of the User Answers when Asked about the Current Context?

Sensor data provide an objective view of reality but fail to capture the subjective motivations behind an individual's behavior. This latter information is crucial for learning about the various dimensions of the personal context, thus increasing predictability. The main limitation is the human input, which is often not of the quality that is needed. The work so far has focused on the usually high number of missing answers. The focus of this paper is on \textit{the number of mistakes} made when answering questions. Three are the main contributions of this paper. First, we show that the user's reaction time, i.e., the time before starting to respond, is the main cause of a low answer quality, where its effects are both direct and indirect, the latter relating to its impact on the completion time, i.e., the time taken to compile the response. Second, we identify the specific exogenous (e.g., the situational or temporal context) and endogenous (e.g., mood, personality traits) factors which have an influence on the reaction time, as well as on the completion time. Third, we show how reaction and completion time compose their effects on the answer quality. The paper concludes with a set of actionable recommendations.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2024

A Methodology and System For Big-Thick Data Collection

Pervasive sensors have become essential in research for gathering real-world data. However, current studies often focus solely on objective data, neglecting subjective human contributions. We introduce an approach and system for collecting big-thick data, combining extensive sensor data (big data) with qualitative human feedback (thick data). This fusion enables effective collaboration between humans and machines, allowing machine learning to benefit from human behavior and interpretations. Emphasizing data quality, our system incorporates continuous monitoring and adaptive learning mechanisms to optimize data collection timing and context, ensuring relevance, accuracy, and reliability. The system comprises three key components: a) a tool for collecting sensor data and user feedback, b) components for experiment planning and execution monitoring, and c) a machine-learning component that enhances human-machine interaction.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2024

Exploring Generative AI for Sim2Real in Driving Data Synthesis

Datasets are essential for training and testing vehicle perception algorithms. However, the collection and annotation of real-world images is time-consuming and expensive. Driving simulators offer a solution by automatically generating various driving scenarios with corresponding annotations, but the simulation-to-reality (Sim2Real) domain gap remains a challenge. While most of the Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) follows the de facto Generative Adversarial Nets (GANs)-based methods, the recent emerging diffusion probabilistic models have not been fully explored in mitigating Sim2Real challenges for driving data synthesis. To explore the performance, this paper applied three different generative AI methods to leverage semantic label maps from a driving simulator as a bridge for the creation of realistic datasets. A comparative analysis of these methods is presented from the perspective of image quality and perception. New synthetic datasets, which include driving images and auto-generated high-quality annotations, are produced with low costs and high scene variability. The experimental results show that although GAN-based methods are adept at generating high-quality images when provided with manually annotated labels, ControlNet produces synthetic datasets with fewer artefacts and more structural fidelity when using simulator-generated labels. This suggests that the diffusion-based approach may provide improved stability and an alternative method for addressing Sim2Real challenges.

cs.CV↗

arXiv2024

Benchmarking the Robustness of Panoptic Segmentation for Automated Driving

Precise situational awareness is required for the safe decision-making of assisted and automated driving (AAD) functions. Panoptic segmentation is a promising perception technique to identify and categorise objects, impending hazards, and driveable space at a pixel level. While segmentation quality is generally associated with the quality of the camera data, a comprehensive understanding and modelling of this relationship are paramount for AAD system designers. Motivated by such a need, this work proposes a unifying pipeline to assess the robustness of panoptic segmentation models for AAD, correlating it with traditional image quality. The first step of the proposed pipeline involves generating degraded camera data that reflects real-world noise factors. To this end, 19 noise factors have been identified and implemented with 3 severity levels. Of these factors, this work proposes novel models for unfavourable light and snow. After applying the degradation models, three state-of-the-art CNN- and vision transformers (ViT)-based panoptic segmentation networks are used to analyse their robustness. The variations of the segmentation performance are then correlated to 8 selected image quality metrics. This research reveals that: 1) certain specific noise factors produce the highest impact on panoptic segmentation, i.e. droplets on lens and Gaussian noise; 2) the ViT-based panoptic segmentation backbones show better robustness to the considered noise factors; 3) some image quality metrics (i.e. LPIPS and CW-SSIM) correlate strongly with panoptic segmentation performance and therefore they can be used as predictive metrics for network performance.

cs.CV↗

arXiv2023

Suppression of water vapor condensation by glycerol droplets on hydrophobic surfaces

Vapor sink is an effective strategy to suppress the formation of water vapor condensation around hygroscopic materials, and consequently reduce frosting and icing. However, traditionally used materials, such as salt solutions, fibers, exhibit insufficient condensation inhibition or pose safety concerns, such as corrosiveness. In this study, we highlight the remarkable anti-condensation properties of glycerol droplets, attributed to their strong hygroscopicity. We compared the anti-condensation capabilities of glycerol droplets with commonly used salt solutions and hygroscopic alcohols. The results indicated that glycerol droplets establish a relatively expansive dry zone where the condensation is effectively inhibited, while also offering safety compared to other materials. Furthermore, we conducted a systematic study of the anti-condensation properties of glycerol droplets with experiments and theoretical analysis. We explored the varying trends of the dry zone ratio concerning temperature, cooling time, humidity, and droplet volume on hydrophobic surfaces. To provide a comprehensive understanding, we propose a straightforward yet robust theoretical model that elucidates the relationship between this ratio and temperature, aligning well with the experimental data. Our study not only sheds light on the superior anti-condensation qualities of glycerol but also offers insights and guidelines for the development of effective anti-icing and anti-frost materials.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2023

Factors Impacting the Quality of User Answers on Smartphones

So far, most research investigating the predictability of human behavior, such as mobility and social interactions, has focused mainly on the exploitation of sensor data. However, sensor data can be difficult to capture the subjective motivations behind the individuals' behavior. Understanding personal context (e.g., where one is and what they are doing) can greatly increase predictability. The main limitation is that human input is often missing or inaccurate. The goal of this paper is to identify factors that influence the quality of responses when users are asked about their current context. We find that two key factors influence the quality of responses: user reaction time and completion time. These factors correlate with various exogenous causes (e.g., situational context, time of day) and endogenous causes (e.g., procrastination attitude, mood). In turn, we study how these two factors impact the quality of responses.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2022

Lifelong Personal Context Recognition

We focus on the development of AIs which live in lifelong symbiosis with a human. The key prerequisite for this task is that the AI understands - at any moment in time - the personal situational context that the human is in. We outline the key challenges that this task brings forth, namely (i) handling the human-like and ego-centric nature of the the user's context, necessary for understanding and providing useful suggestions, (ii) performing lifelong context recognition using machine learning in a way that is robust to change, and (iii) maintaining alignment between the AI's and human's representations of the world through continual bidirectional interaction. In this short paper, we summarize our recent attempts at tackling these challenges, discuss the lessons learned, and highlight directions of future research. The main take-away message is that pursuing this project requires research which lies at the intersection of knowledge representation and machine learning. Neither technology can achieve this goal without the other.

cs.AI↗

arXiv2022

A three-stage magnetic phase transition revealed in ultrahigh-quality van der Waals magnet CrSBr

van der Waals (vdW) magnets are receiving ever-growing attention nowadays due to their significance in both fundamental research on low-dimensional magnetism and potential applications in spintronic devices. High crystalline quality of vdW magnets is key for maintaining intrinsic magnetic and electronic properties, especially when exfoliated down to the 2D limit. Here, ultrahigh-quality air-stable vdW CrSBr crystals are synthesized using the direct vapor-solid synthesis method. The high single crystallinity and spatial homogeneity have been thoroughly evidenced at length scales from sub-mm to atomic resolution by X-ray diffraction, second harmonic generation, and scanning transmission electron microscopy. More importantly, specific heat measurements of these ultrahigh quality CrSBr crystals show three thermodynamic anomalies at 185K, 156K, and 132K, revealing a stage-by-stage development of the magnetic order upon cooling, which is also corroborated with the magnetization and transport results. Our ultrahigh-quality CrSBr can further be exfoliated down to monolayers and bilayers easily, paving the way to integrate them into heterostructures for spintronic and magneto-optoelectronic applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗