US Patent 11801871 Goal-based motion forecasting

Example aspects of the present disclosure relate to an example computer-implemented method for predicting the intent of actors within an environment. The example method includes obtaining state data associated with a plurality of actors within the environment and map data indicating a plurality of lanes of the environment. The method include determining a plurality of potential goals each actor based on the state data and the map data. The method includes processing the state data, the map data, and the plurality of potential goals with a machine-learned forecasting model to determine (i) a forecasted goal for a respective actor of the plurality of actors, (ii) a forecasted interaction between the respective actor and a different actor of the plurality of actors based on the forecasted goal, and (iii) a continuous trajectory for the respective actor based on the forecasted goal.