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NATO explores the future of robotics at Penn’s GRASP Lab

NATO explores the future of robotics at Penn’s GRASP Lab

A NATO Allied Command Transformation delegation visited the Penn’s GRASP Lab in June to learn how researchers are advancing robotics and autonomous systems with applications spanning disaster response, infrastructure, and national security.

Tiny, knotted robots jump, fly, and plant seeds
Jiarui Wang holds up one of these programmable knot robots

Jiarui Wang, a member of the Yang Lab, holds up one of these programmable knot robots with forceps showing how something not much bigger than a grain of rice can pack a serious punch in the world of soft, automated robotics.

(Image: Courtesy of Penn Engineering)

Tiny, knotted robots jump, fly, and plant seeds

Researchers at Penn Engineering have developed a tiny, soft robot using opposable materials that are capable of leaping meters into the air with flexibility, responsiveness, and programmability.

Melissa Pappas

2 min. read

Helping robotic arms solve problems using tools
Three students working on a robotic arm in the GRASP lab

Image: Sylvia Zhang

Helping robotic arms solve problems using tools

Penn engineers have developed VLMgineer, an AI framework that can design, adapt, and deploy tools in the real world.

Melissa Pappas

2 min. read

Enabling robots to chart a better course
Shadow of a drone over a map of housing units.

Image: Francesco Scatena via Getty Images

Enabling robots to chart a better course

A novel, open-source system has the ability to streamline disaster recovery and parcel delivery by rapidly generating a smooth path plan that cuts travel time and avoids obstacles.

From Penn Engineering

2 min. read

Margaret Zhu: A robotic solution for safer tree trimming
Margaret Zhu working in the Venture Lab.

Margaret Zhu and the Serpent Robotics team fine-tuning their robot at Tangen Hall.

nocred

Margaret Zhu: A robotic solution for safer tree trimming

Margaret Zhu and the Serpent Robotics team have leveraged Penn resources to create a tree-cutting robot, improving safety in a dangerous industry. The President’s Innovation Prize allows Zhu to iterate and pilot the device over the next year.

3 min. read

Robots that can see around corners using radio signals and AI
Zitong Lan, Haowen Lai and Mingmin Zhao with a robot in a lab.

(From left) Penn Engineering’s Zitong Lan, Haowen Lai and Mingmin Zhao.

(Image: Sylvia Zhang)

Robots that can see around corners using radio signals and AI

Doctoral students at Penn Engineering have built a new system, powered by AI and radio signals, that allows robots to view around corners, with implications for vehicle safety and industrial efficiency.

Ian Scheffler

2 min. read