# Long-Distance Real-World Navigation of the Legged-Wheeled Robot Go2-W Using Deep Reinforcement Learning

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.21387 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.21387/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in RL for robot locomotion and manipulation, one of 15 directions in Deep reinforcement learning methods.
- Builds on 27 of its 45 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 19 Jun 2026.

## Placed in

- Deep reinforcement learning methods / [RL for robot locomotion and manipulation](https://mlsanity.com/deeprl/rl-for-robot-locomotion-and-manipulation/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 27 of 27)

- [Proximal Policy Optimization Algorithms](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1707.06347/) (2017)
- [Soft Actor-Critic: Off-Policy Maximum Entropy Deep Reinforcement Learning with a Stochastic Actor](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1801.01290/) (2018)
- [Domain Randomization for Transferring Deep Neural Networks from Simulation to the Real World](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1703.06907/) (2017)
- [Isaac Gym: High Performance GPU-Based Physics Simulation For Robot Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.10470/) (2021)
- [Learning Quadrupedal Locomotion over Challenging Terrain](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.11251/) (2020)
- [Learning to Walk in Minutes Using Massively Parallel Deep Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2109.11978/) (2021)
- [RMA: Rapid Motor Adaptation for Legged Robots](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.04034/) (2021)
- [Learning agile and dynamic motor skills for legged robots](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1901.08652/) (2019)
- [Learning robust perceptive locomotion for quadrupedal robots in the wild](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.08117/) (2022)
- [Sim-to-Real: Learning Agile Locomotion For Quadruped Robots](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1804.10332/) (2018)
- [Asymmetric Actor Critic for Image-Based Robot Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1710.06542/) (2017)
- [FAST-LIO2: Fast Direct LiDAR-inertial Odometry](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.06829/) (2021)
- [MuJoCo Playground](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.08844/) (2025)
- [Learning Robust Autonomous Navigation and Locomotion for Wheeled-Legged Robots](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.01792/) (2024)
- [PIE: Parkour with Implicit-Explicit Learning Framework for Legged Robots](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.13740/) (2024)
- [Safe Occlusion-aware Autonomous Driving via Game-Theoretic Active Perception](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2105.08169/) (2021)
- [Wild Visual Navigation: Fast Traversability Learning via Pre-Trained Models and Online Self-Supervision](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.07110/) (2024)
- [Whole-Body MPC and Online Gait Sequence Generation for Wheeled-Legged Robots](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.06322/) (2020)
- [Dexterous Legged Locomotion in Confined 3D Spaces with Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.03848/) (2024)
- [Keep Rollin' - Whole-Body Motion Control and Planning for Wheeled Quadrupedal Robots](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1809.03557/) (2018)
- [Ascento: A Two-Wheeled Jumping Robot](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2005.11435/) (2020)
- [Reinforcement Learning for Blind Stair Climbing with Legged and Wheeled-Legged Robots](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.06143/) (2024)
- [GLIM: 3D Range-Inertial Localization and Mapping with GPU-Accelerated Scan Matching Factors](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.10344/) (2024)
- [Learning Semantic Traversability with Egocentric Video and Automated Annotation Strategy](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.02989/) (2024)
- [LQR-Assisted Whole-Body Control of a Wheeled Bipedal Robot with Kinematic Loops](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2005.11431/) (2020)
- [OA-MPC: Occlusion-Aware MPC for Guaranteed Safe Robot Navigation with Unseen Dynamic Obstacles](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.09156/) (2022)
- [Learning to Balance Motor Thermal Safety and Quadrupedal Locomotion Performance with Residual Policy](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.27046/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Legged-wheeled robots have long been studied for their potential to combine the efficient flat-ground mobility of wheels with the rough-terrain capability of legs. However, examples of their application to long-range autonomous navigation in real environments remain limited. This paper reports our effort to build a deep reinforcement learning (DRL) based locomotion controller and an autonomous navigation system for the commercially available legged-wheeled robot Go2-W, and to apply them to long-range autonomous navigation in a real environment. For locomotion control, we extended a proprioception-only policy, which we had previously developed for quadruped robots, to the 16-DoF legged-wheeled robot. We also found that wheeled locomotion concentrates the load on the hip joints and causes heat concentration that hinders sustained travel, and obtained a policy that suppresses it by distributing the load. We evaluated the system at the Tsukuba Challenge 2025, demonstrating that it can autonomously traverse an approximately 2.8 km route including sidewalks, a park, and stairs without stopping due to overheating.