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arXiv · 2508.10423

MASH: Cooperative-Heterogeneous Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning for Single Humanoid Robot Locomotion

Qi Liu·Xiaopeng Zhang·Mingshan Tan·Shuaikang Ma·Jinliang Ding·Yanjie Li
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Abstract

This paper proposes a novel method to enhance locomotion for a single humanoid robot through cooperative-heterogeneous multi-agent deep reinforcement learning (MARL). While most existing methods typically employ single-agent reinforcement learning algorithms for a single humanoid robot or MARL algorithms for multi-robot system tasks, we propose a distinct paradigm: applying cooperative-heterogeneous MARL to optimize locomotion for a single humanoid robot. The proposed method, multi-agent reinforcement learning for single humanoid locomotion (MASH), treats each limb (legs and arms) as an independent agent that explores the robot's action space while sharing a global critic for cooperative learning. Experiments demonstrate that MASH accelerates training convergence and improves whole-body cooperation ability, outperforming conventional single-agent reinforcement learning methods. This work advances the integration of MARL into single-humanoid-robot control, offering new insights into efficient locomotion strategies.

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Qi Liu, Xiaopeng Zhang, Mingshan Tan, Shuaikang Ma, Jinliang Ding, Yanjie Li. 2025-08-14. MASH: Cooperative-Heterogeneous Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning for Single Humanoid Robot Locomotion. https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.10423

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