VisFly-Lab: Unified Differentiable Framework for First-Order Reinforcement Learning of Quadrotor Control
On the map: Deep reinforcement learning methods → RL for robot navigation and UAV control
Abstract (arXiv)
First-order reinforcement learning with differentiable simulation is promising for quadrotor control, but practical progress remains fragmented across task-specific settings. To support more systematic development and evaluation, we present a unified differentiable framework for multi-task quadrotor control. The framework is wrapped, extensible, and equipped with deployment-oriented dynamics, providing a common interface across four representative tasks: hovering, tracking, landing, and racing. We also present the suite of first-order learning algorithms, where we identify two practical bottlenecks of standard first-order training: limited state coverage caused by horizon initialization and gradient bias caused by partially non-differentiable rewards. To address these issues, we propose Amended Backpropagation Through Time (ABPT), which combines differentiable rollout optimization, a value-based auxiliary objective, and visited-state initialization to improve training robustness. Experimental results show that ABPT yields the clearest gains in tasks with partially non-differentiable rewards, while remaining competitive in fully differentiable settings. We further provide proof-of-concept real-world deployments showing initial transferability of policies learned in the proposed framework beyond simulation.
Key facts. No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026). Placed in RL for robot navigation and UAV control, one of 15 directions in Deep reinforcement learning methods. Builds on 15 of its 24 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 22 Mar 2026.
Builds on
15 of 24 references.
Closest ancestors · 2
Same direction, newest first
- 2024Learning Quadrotor Control From Visual Features Using Differentiable Simulation21 Oct
- 2024VisFly: An Efficient and Versatile Simulator for Training Vision-based Flight20 Jul
Other references · 13
- 2017Proximal Policy Optimization Algorithmscited by 15,215
- 2019Habitat: A Platform for Embodied AI Researchcited by 1,191
- 2021Brax -- A Differentiable Physics Engine for Large Scale Rigid Body Simulationcited by 407
- 2019DiffTaichi: Differentiable Programming for Physical Simulationcited by 258
- 2022Accelerated Policy Learning with Parallel Differentiable Simulationcited by 104
- 2020NeuralSim: Augmenting Differentiable Simulators with Neural Networkscited by 82
- 2024Back to Newton's Laws: Learning Vision-based Agile Flight via Differentiable Physicscited by 45
- 2022Dojo: A Differentiable Physics Engine for Roboticscited by 26
- 2022Training Efficient Controllers via Analytic Policy Gradientcited by 22
- 2024Adaptive Horizon Actor-Critic for Policy Learning in Contact-Rich Differentiable Simulationcited by 20
- 2024Stabilizing Reinforcement Learning in Differentiable Multiphysics Simulationcited by 20
- 2025Learning on the Fly: Rapid Policy Adaptation via Differentiable Simulationcited by 8
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- 2024Multi-Task Reinforcement Learning for Quadrotors
- 2026Simple but Stable, Fast and Safe: Achieve End-to-end Control by High-Fidelity Differentiable Simulation
- 2025Leveling the Playing Field: Carefully Comparing Classical and Learned Controllers for Quadrotor Trajectory Tracking
- 2026E2E-Fly: An Integrated Training-to-Deployment System for End-to-End Quadrotor Autonomy ↗
- 2025RoVerFly: Robust and Versatile Implicit Hybrid Control of Quadrotor-Payload Systems
- 2025RAPTOR: A Foundation Policy for Quadrotor Control
- 2025Reactive Aerobatic Flight via Reinforcement Learning
- 2026Learning Agile Intruder Interception using Differentiable Quadrotor Dynamics