English

HAFO: A Force-Adaptive Control Framework for Humanoid Robots in Intense Interaction Environments

Robotics 2026-02-02 v4

Abstract

Reinforcement learning (RL) controllers have made impressive progress in humanoid locomotion and light-weight object manipulation. However, achieving robust and precise motion control with intense force interaction remains a significant challenge. To address these limitations, this paper proposes HAFO, a dual-agent reinforcement learning framework that concurrently optimizes both a robust locomotion strategy and a precise upper-body manipulation strategy via coupled training. We employ a constrained residual action space to improve dual-agent training stability and sample efficiency. The external tension disturbances are explicitly modeled using a spring-damper system, allowing for fine-grained force control through manipulation of the virtual spring. In this process, the reinforcement learning policy autonomously generates a disturbance-rejection response by utilizing environmental feedback. The experimental results demonstrate that HAFO achieves whole-body control for humanoid robots across diverse force-interaction environments using a single dual-agent policy, delivering outstanding performance under load-bearing and thrust-disturbance conditions, while maintaining stable operation even under rope suspension state.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2511.20275,
  title  = {HAFO: A Force-Adaptive Control Framework for Humanoid Robots in Intense Interaction Environments},
  author = {Chenhui Dong and Haozhe Xu and Wenhao Feng and Zhipeng Wang and Yanmin Zhou and Yifei Zhao and Bin He},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2511.20275},
  year   = {2026}
}
R2 v1 2026-07-01T07:54:10.887Z