Embracing Evolution: A Call for Body-Control Co-Design in Embodied Humanoid Robot

Guiliang Liu, Bo Yue, Yi Jin Kim, Kui Jia

Keywords: embodied intelligence, humanoid robot, co-design

TL;DR: While recent research has focused primarily on optimizing control policies for fixed robot structures, this position paper argues for evolving both control strategies and humanoid robots' physical structure under a co-design mechanism.

Abstract: Humanoid robots, as general-purpose physical agents, must integrate both intelligent control and adaptive morphology to operate effectively in diverse real-world environments. While recent research has focused primarily on optimizing control policies for fixed robot structures, this position paper argues for *“evolving both control strategies and humanoid robots' physical structure under a co-design mechanism”*. Inspired by biological evolution, this approach enables robots to iteratively adapt both their form and behavior to optimize performance within task-specific and resource-constrained contexts. Despite its promise, co-design in humanoid robotics remains a relatively underexplored domain, raising fundamental questions about its feasibility and necessity in achieving true embodied intelligence. To address these challenges, we propose practical co-design methodologies grounded in strategic exploration, Sim2Real transfer, and meta-policy learning. We further argue for the essential role of co-design by analyzing it from methodological, application-driven, and community-oriented perspectives. Striving to guide and inspire future studies, we present open research questions, spanning from short-term innovations to long-term goals. This work positions co-design as a cornerstone for developing the next generation of intelligent and adaptable humanoid agents.

Submission Number: 297