Bridging the Reality Gap: Analyzing Sim-to-Real Transfer Techniques for Reinforcement Learning in Humanoid Bipedal Locomotion

Reinforcement learning (RL) offers a promising solution for controlling humanoid robots, particularly for bipedal locomotion, by learning adaptive and flexible control strategies. However, direct RL application is hindered by time-consuming trial-and-error processes, necessitating training in simulation before real-world transfer. This introduces a
reality gap
that degrades performance. Although various methods have been proposed for sim-to-real transfer, they have not been validated on a consistent hardware platform making it difficult to determine which components are key to overcoming the reality gap. In contrast, we systematically evaluate techniques to enhance RL policy robustness during sim-to-real transfer by controlling variables and comparing them on a single robot to isolate and analyze the impact of each technique. These techniques include dynamics randomization, state history usage, noise/bias/delay modeling, state selection, perturbations, and network size.We quantitatively assess the reality gap by simulating diverse conditions and conducting experiments on real hardware. Our findings provide insights into bridging the reality gap, advancing robust RL-trained humanoid robots for real-world applications.