Visual Verification Enables Inference-time Steering and Autonomous Policy Improvement
On the map: Vision-language-action models → Reinforcement learning and post-training
Abstract (arXiv)
Robots deployed in the real world should learn from their experience and improve over time. This requires a mechanism of practicing and learning from feedback. In this paper, we propose VERITAS, a generator-verifier framework for generalist robot policies for inference-time policy steering and self-improvement. We use a pre-trained generalist robot policy as a ``generator'' and pair it with a gradient-free ``visual verifier'' that evaluates actions at inference time. This framework enables inference-time steering that improves policy performance without additional training. We demonstrate that inference-time verification consistently outperforms vanilla generalists without training on additional demonstration data. Additionally, we demonstrate that the verified rollouts provide effective supervision for offline policy improvement: policies fine-tuned on verified self-generated trajectories achieve consistent performance gains. Notably, we find that post-training with verified rollouts achieves comparable efficiency to expert demonstrations, while requiring no human interventions. Our results highlight inference-time verification as a practical and scalable mechanism for improving robotic policies during deployment.
Key facts. Cited by 1 paper in the map (data through 7 Oct 2026). Placed in Reinforcement learning and post-training, one of 13 directions in Vision-language-action models. Builds on 41 of its 49 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 16 Jun 2026.
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41 of 49 references.
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Other references · 40
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- 2024Grounded SAM: Assembling Open-World Models for Diverse Visual Taskscited by 914
28 more
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- 2025Do What You Say: Steering Vision-Language-Action Models via Runtime Reasoning-Action Alignment Verificationcited by 25
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Citing papers per year: 2026: 1.
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