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In recent years, the field of legged robotics has seen growing interest in enhancing the capabilities of these robots through the integration of articulated robotic arms. However, achieving successful loco-manipulation, especially involving interaction with heavy objects, is far from straightforward, as object manipulation can introduce substantial disturbances that impact the robot’s locomotion. This paper presents a novel framework for legged loco-manipulation that considers whole-body coordination through a hierarchical optimization-based control framework. First, an online manipulation planner computes the manipulation forces and manipulated object task-based reference trajectory. Then, pose optimization aligns the robot’s trajectory with kinematic constraints. The resultant robot reference trajectory is executed via a linear MPC controller incorporating the desired manipulation forces into its prediction model. Our approach has been validated in simulation and hardware experiments, highlighting the necessity of whole-body optimization compared to the baseline locomotion MPC when interacting with heavy objects. Experimental results with Unitree Aliengo, equipped with a custom-made robotic arm, showcase its ability to lift and carry an 8kg payload and manipulate doors. 

Optical lenses require feature resolution and surface roughness that are beyond most (3D) printing methods. A new continuous projection‐based vat photopolymerization process is reported that can directly shape polymer materials into optical lenses with microscale dimensional accuracy (< 14.7 µm) and nanoscale surface roughness (< 20 nm) without post‐processing. The main idea is to utilize frustum layer stacking, instead of the conventional 2.5D layer stacking, to eliminate staircase aliasing. A continuous change of mask images is achieved using a zooming‐focused projection system to generate the desired frustum layer stacking with controlled slant angles. The dynamic control of image size, objective and imaging distances, and light intensity involved in the zooming‐focused continuous vat photopolymerization are systematically investigated. The experimental results reveal the effectiveness of the proposed process. The 3D‐printed optical lenses with various designs, including parabolic lenses, fisheye lenses, and a laser beam expander, are fabricated with a surface roughness of 3.4 nm without post‐processing. The dimensional accuracy and optical performance of the 3D‐printed compound parabolic concentrators and fisheye lenses within a few millimeters are investiagted. These results highlight the rapid and precise nature of this novel manufacturing process, demonstrating a promising avenue for future optical component and device fabrication.