Heracles uses a state-conditioned diffusion middleware to bridge precise motion tracking with generative recovery for humanoid robots.
March 31, 2026
Original Paper
Heracles: Bridging Precise Tracking and Generative Synthesis for General Humanoid Control
arXiv · 2603.27756
The Takeaway
Solves the 'brittleness' of traditional humanoid controllers. By using a diffusion model as an intermediary, robots can maintain high-fidelity tracking during normal operation while switching to human-like 'generative recovery' when hit by severe external perturbations.
From the abstract
Achieving general-purpose humanoid control requires a delicate balance between the precise execution of commanded motions and the flexible, anthropomorphic adaptability needed to recover from unpredictable environmental perturbations. Current general controllers predominantly formulate motion control as a rigid reference-tracking problem. While effective in nominal conditions, these trackers often exhibit brittle, non-anthropomorphic failure modes under severe disturbances, lacking the generativ