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Main Authors: Yardi, Yash, Biruduganti, Samuel, Ankile, Lars
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.16389
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author Yardi, Yash
Biruduganti, Samuel
Ankile, Lars
author_facet Yardi, Yash
Biruduganti, Samuel
Ankile, Lars
contents Simulation offers a scalable and efficient alternative to real-world data collection for learning visuomotor robotic policies. However, the simulation-to-reality, or Sim2Real distribution shift -- introduced by employing simulation-trained policies in real-world environments -- frequently prevents successful policy transfer. We present an offline framework to evaluate the performance of using large-scale pre-trained vision encoders to address the Sim2Real gap. We examine a diverse collection of encoders, assessing their ability to extract features necessary for robot control (Action Score) while remaining invariant to task-irrelevant environmental variations (Domain Invariance Score). Evaluating 23 encoders, we reveal patterns across architectures, pre-training datasets, and parameter scales. Our findings show that manipulation-pretrained encoders consistently achieve higher Action Scores, CNN-based encoders demonstrate stronger domain invariance than ViTs, and the best-performing models combine both properties, underscoring DIS and AS as complementary predictors of Sim2Real transferability.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2501_16389
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Bridging the Sim2Real Gap: Vision Encoder Pre-Training for Visuomotor Policy Transfer
Yardi, Yash
Biruduganti, Samuel
Ankile, Lars
Robotics
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Simulation offers a scalable and efficient alternative to real-world data collection for learning visuomotor robotic policies. However, the simulation-to-reality, or Sim2Real distribution shift -- introduced by employing simulation-trained policies in real-world environments -- frequently prevents successful policy transfer. We present an offline framework to evaluate the performance of using large-scale pre-trained vision encoders to address the Sim2Real gap. We examine a diverse collection of encoders, assessing their ability to extract features necessary for robot control (Action Score) while remaining invariant to task-irrelevant environmental variations (Domain Invariance Score). Evaluating 23 encoders, we reveal patterns across architectures, pre-training datasets, and parameter scales. Our findings show that manipulation-pretrained encoders consistently achieve higher Action Scores, CNN-based encoders demonstrate stronger domain invariance than ViTs, and the best-performing models combine both properties, underscoring DIS and AS as complementary predictors of Sim2Real transferability.
title Bridging the Sim2Real Gap: Vision Encoder Pre-Training for Visuomotor Policy Transfer
topic Robotics
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.16389