Pedipulation in Quadruped Robots: Toward Autonomous Model-Based Legged Manipulation

Quadruped robots are increasingly used for exploration, inspection, and monitoring in environments where wheeled or tracked vehicles are inadequate. While locomotion has been extensively studied, the use of legs not only to achieve locomotion but also to manipulate the environment is largely unexplored. Inspired by biological counterparts, pedipulation can extend autonomy by enabling non-prehensile interactions such as pushing obstacles or opening doors, as well as simple social gestures that may enhance acceptance in human-centered environments. This paper presents a modular task-priority control framework for pedipulation on the Unitree Go1 quadruped. The architecture combines inverse dynamics, balance maintenance, and mission-level sequencing, allowing the robot to execute pedipulation tasks while preserving stability. The framework was validated in simulation and real-world experiments across representative scenarios, including object pushing, door opening, object removal, and human interaction.