asRoBallet: Closing the Sim2Real Gap via Friction-Aware Reinforcement Learning for Underactuated Spherical Dynamics

TL;DR

asRoBallet is a novel reinforcement learning approach that enables a humanoid ballbot to transfer from simulation to real hardware by explicitly modeling complex friction interactions.

Contribution

The paper introduces a high-fidelity simulation and friction-aware RL framework that achieves zero-shot Sim2Real transfer for underactuated spherical robots.

Findings

Explicit friction modeling improves Sim2Real transfer.

Friction-aware RL handles complex wheel-ground interactions.

The platform enables expressive humanoid maneuvers.

Abstract

We introduce asRoBallet, to the best of our knowledge, the first end-to-end reinforcement learning (RL) locomotion policy deployed on a humanoid ballbot hardware platform. Historically, ballbots have served as a canonical benchmark for underactuated and nonholonomic control, which are characterized by a reality gap in complex friction models for wheel-ball-floor interactions. While current literature demonstrates successful handling of 3D balancing with LQR and MPC, transitioning to actual hardware for a humanoid ballbot using RL is currently hindered by critical gaps in contact modeling, actuator latency & jitter, and safe hardware exploration. This study proposes a high-fidelity MuJoCo simulation that explicitly models the discrete roller mechanics of ETH-type omni-wheels, thereby capturing parasitic vibrations and contact discontinuities that have previously been ignored. We also developed a Friction-Aware Reinforcement Learning framework that achieves zero-shot Sim2Real transfer by mastering the coupled rolling, lateral, and torsional friction channels at the wheel-ball and ball-floor interfaces. We designed asRoBallet through subtractive reconfiguration, repurposing key components from an overconstrained quadruped and integrating them into a newly designed structural frame to achieve a robust research platform at low cost. We also developed a generalized iOS ecosystem that transforms consumer electronics into a low-latency interface, enabling a single operator to orchestrate expressive humanoid maneuvers via intuitive natural motion.