KAN-MLP-Mixer: A comprehensive investigation of the usage of Kolmogorov-Arnold Networks (KANs) for improving IMU-based Human Activity Recognition
Pith reviewed 2026-05-20 10:32 UTC · model grok-4.3
The pith
A hybrid architecture places KAN modules only at input embedding and final classification while using MLPs for feature mixing to improve IMU-based human activity recognition.
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
Core claim
Replacing every MLP component with KANs degrades both accuracy and efficiency on noisy IMU data, but a targeted hybrid that applies KANs only for input embedding and for a final LarctanKAN classification head while retaining MLP layers for feature mixing produces more accurate and robust activity recognition models.
What carries the argument
The KAN-MLP hybrid architecture that uses a KAN-based input embedding layer, MLP layers for intermediate feature mixing, and a specialized LarctanKAN module for final activity classification.
If this is right
- The hybrid strategy raises macro F1 scores on every one of the eight tested public HAR datasets relative to pure-MLP baselines.
- Inserting the same KAN placement pattern into other published state-of-the-art HAR architectures produces consistent performance gains.
- KAN modules deliver their precision advantage only when noise-tolerant MLP layers handle the bulk of the intermediate representation work.
- Real-world wearable sensing benefits from this selective use of KANs rather than wholesale replacement of existing MLP pipelines.
Where Pith is reading between the lines
- The same placement rule could be tested on other noisy time-series tasks such as fall detection or gesture recognition from wrist sensors.
- Edge-device implementations might further benefit if the LarctanKAN head is replaced by a lighter conventional layer while keeping the input KAN.
- Collecting a small calibration set from a new user or sensor type and fine-tuning only the KAN modules could preserve the reported gains without full retraining.
Load-bearing premise
The specific placement of KAN modules at the input and classification stages stays optimal and does not overfit when the model encounters new IMU datasets or different sensor noise patterns.
What would settle it
Training the hybrid model on the eight datasets and then evaluating it on an independent ninth public HAR dataset collected with different sensors or noise levels to check whether the 5.33 percent average F1 improvement still appears.
Figures
read the original abstract
Kolmogorov-Arnold Networks (KANs) have demonstrated an exceptional ability to learn complex functions on clean, low-dimensional data but struggle to maintain performance on noisy and imperfect real-world datasets. In contrast, conventional multi-layer perceptrons (MLPs) are far more tolerant to noise and computationally efficient. Replacing all MLP components with KANs in HAR models often degrades accuracy and computation efficiency, highlighting an open challenge: how to combine KANs' precision with MLPs' noise robustness and efficiency. To address this, we systematically explore various placements of KAN modules within deep HAR networks and propose a hybrid architecture that strategically synergizes the strengths of both paradigms, which uses a KAN-based input embedding layer, retains MLP layers for intermediate feature mixing, and introduces a specialized LarctanKAN module for final activity classification. Across eight public HAR datasets, the hybrid KAN-MLP model achieves an average macro F1 score relative improvement of 5.33\% compared pure-MLP model, significantly outperforming standalone KAN and MLP baselines. Furthermore, integrating this hybrid strategy into other state-of-the-art HAR architectures consistently boosts their performance. Our findings demonstrate that a carefully orchestrated combination of KAN, MLP, or other conventional neural components yields more robust and accurate HAR models for real-world wearable sensing environments.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The paper investigates the integration of Kolmogorov-Arnold Networks (KANs) into IMU-based Human Activity Recognition (HAR) models. It identifies limitations of pure KANs on noisy real-world data and proposes a hybrid KAN-MLP architecture using KAN-based input embedding, MLP layers for feature mixing, and a specialized LarctanKAN module for classification. Experiments across eight public HAR datasets report an average 5.33% relative macro F1 improvement over pure-MLP baselines, with the hybrid strategy also boosting other state-of-the-art HAR architectures.
Significance. If the performance gains hold under subject-independent evaluation protocols, the work offers a practical hybrid strategy that combines KAN precision with MLP robustness for noisy IMU signals. The consistent improvements across multiple datasets and successful integration into existing SOTA models represent a useful empirical contribution to wearable sensing, particularly if accompanied by reproducible code or full ablation tables.
major comments (2)
- [§4.2] §4.2 (Experimental Setup): The evaluation protocol is not explicitly described as using subject-independent splits such as leave-one-subject-out or equivalent. IMU HAR performance is known to be sensitive to subject identity and sensor bias; without confirmation of no leakage, the reported 5.33% macro F1 gain and claims of robustness to real-world environments risk being partly attributable to memorization of individual patterns rather than genuine generalization.
- [Table 2] Table 2 (or equivalent results table): The 5.33% average relative improvement is presented without per-dataset standard deviations, statistical significance tests (e.g., paired t-tests or Wilcoxon), or full ablation details on KAN placement variants. This leaves open the possibility of post-hoc selection effects and weakens the central claim that the specific hybrid placement is optimal.
minor comments (2)
- [Abstract] Abstract: The reported 5.33% figure should include error bars or confidence intervals and a brief note on the number of runs or statistical testing to improve transparency.
- [§3.3] §3.3 (LarctanKAN module): The definition and activation function of the specialized LarctanKAN could be clarified with an explicit equation or pseudocode to aid reproducibility.
Simulated Author's Rebuttal
We thank the referee for the constructive and detailed feedback on our manuscript investigating hybrid KAN-MLP architectures for IMU-based human activity recognition. We address each major comment point by point below and outline the revisions we will make.
read point-by-point responses
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Referee: [§4.2] §4.2 (Experimental Setup): The evaluation protocol is not explicitly described as using subject-independent splits such as leave-one-subject-out or equivalent. IMU HAR performance is known to be sensitive to subject identity and sensor bias; without confirmation of no leakage, the reported 5.33% macro F1 gain and claims of robustness to real-world environments risk being partly attributable to memorization of individual patterns rather than genuine generalization.
Authors: We appreciate the referee's emphasis on rigorous evaluation protocols in IMU-based HAR, where subject-specific biases can indeed affect generalization. The public datasets used in our experiments follow their standard predefined train/test splits, which are designed to be subject-independent to avoid leakage. However, we agree that explicit clarification is essential. In the revised manuscript, we will update §4.2 to explicitly describe the evaluation protocol, confirm the use of subject-independent splits across all eight datasets, and discuss the absence of subject leakage. This will better support our claims of robustness in real-world settings. revision: yes
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Referee: Table 2 (or equivalent results table): The 5.33% average relative improvement is presented without per-dataset standard deviations, statistical significance tests (e.g., paired t-tests or Wilcoxon), or full ablation details on KAN placement variants. This leaves open the possibility of post-hoc selection effects and weakens the central claim that the specific hybrid placement is optimal.
Authors: We agree that additional statistical details and comprehensive ablations would strengthen the empirical claims. In the revised version, we will expand Table 2 (and related results) to include per-dataset standard deviations computed over multiple runs with different random seeds, report results of paired statistical significance tests (e.g., paired t-tests) on the macro F1 improvements, and provide fuller ablation tables detailing all KAN placement variants explored. These additions will reduce concerns about selection effects and more robustly justify the optimality of the proposed hybrid strategy. revision: yes
Circularity Check
No circularity: purely empirical comparison on public datasets
full rationale
The paper conducts an empirical investigation of KAN placements within HAR networks, proposing a hybrid KAN-MLP architecture and reporting a 5.33% average macro F1 improvement across eight public datasets. All claims rest on direct experimental results against baselines rather than any derivation, equation, or first-principles result. No self-definitional steps, fitted inputs renamed as predictions, or load-bearing self-citations appear in the provided text or abstract. The work is self-contained against external benchmarks and does not invoke uniqueness theorems or ansatzes from prior author work.
Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger
free parameters (1)
- LarctanKAN design choices
axioms (1)
- domain assumption KANs perform well on clean low-dimensional data but degrade on noisy real-world sensor data
Lean theorems connected to this paper
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IndisputableMonolith/Cost/FunctionalEquation.leanwashburn_uniqueness_aczel unclear?
unclearRelation between the paper passage and the cited Recognition theorem.
hybrid architecture that uses a KAN-based input embedding layer, retains MLP layers for intermediate feature mixing, and introduces a specialized LarctanKAN module for final activity classification... average macro F1 score relative improvement of 5.33%
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IndisputableMonolith/Foundation/AlphaCoordinateFixation.leancostAlphaLog_fourth_deriv_at_zero unclear?
unclearRelation between the paper passage and the cited Recognition theorem.
LarctanKAN... arctan(kx)
What do these tags mean?
- matches
- The paper's claim is directly supported by a theorem in the formal canon.
- supports
- The theorem supports part of the paper's argument, but the paper may add assumptions or extra steps.
- extends
- The paper goes beyond the formal theorem; the theorem is a base layer rather than the whole result.
- uses
- The paper appears to rely on the theorem as machinery.
- contradicts
- The paper's claim conflicts with a theorem or certificate in the canon.
- unclear
- Pith found a possible connection, but the passage is too broad, indirect, or ambiguous to say the theorem truly supports the claim.
Reference graph
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