4/22
School of Engineering & Applied Science
Guinness recognizes Piccolissimo as world’s smallest self-powered flying robot
Guinness recognizes Piccolissimo as world’s smallest self-powered flying robot
Created in professor Mark Yim’s ModLab, with graduate student Matt Piccoli, the world’s smallest flying robot can carry the weight of a small camera or sensor, with just two moving parts achieving directional control.
New GRASP project aims to leverage ‘embodied intelligence’ via a robotic squirrel
New GRASP project aims to leverage ‘embodied intelligence’ via a robotic squirrel
A team of engineers from Penn's GRASP lab has designed a mechanical squirrel with "embodied intelligence," capable of pulling off parkour feats using multi-sensory adaptation to interact with its surroundings.
Dental plaque is no match for catalytic nanoparticles
Dental plaque is no match for catalytic nanoparticles
A recent study found that nanoparticles can break down dental plaque with nanoparticles that target biofilms, preventing tooth decay in humans and animal models without damaging surrounding oral tissue.
Vet students’ goat dairy aims to fill a nutrition gap in Gambia
Vet students’ goat dairy aims to fill a nutrition gap in Gambia
Briana Wilson plans on becoming a small-animal vet, but this summer she is immersing herself in far-flung ventures in faraway places at the Gambia Goat Dairy, helping to create a sustainable, commercial herd of milking goats.
University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering launches online master’s in computer science
University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering launches online master’s in computer science
The School of Engineering and Applied Science has introduced MCIT Online, an affordable master's degree program available through Coursera, open to students without any previous background in computer science.
ModLab’s ‘SMORES’ are expanding robot autonomy
ModLab’s ‘SMORES’ are expanding robot autonomy
A self-assembling modular robot for extreme shapeshifting (SMORES) is designed to experience environmental features and modify its movement and function in response, bringing a new level of autonomy to the world of robotics.
Using statistics to uncover the truth about individual cells
Using statistics to uncover the truth about individual cells
Researchers at Penn have developed a better method for interpreting data from single-cell RNA sequencing technologies.
Making complex 3-D surfaces with 2-D sheets
Making complex 3-D surfaces with 2-D sheets
Using liquid crystal elastomer, researchers are able to transform 2-dimensional rubber-like sheets into malleable, three-dimensional shapes, with a precise amount of control for various shape sequences.
A cryptocurrency collaboration
A cryptocurrency collaboration
A partnership with Ripple, the University Blockchain Research Initiative, will bring innovation to cryptocurrency and blockchain.
Sharing space to support ‘better science’
Sharing space to support ‘better science’
Across disciplines, Penn researchers in the Computational Neuroscience Initiative put their heads together to better understand the brain.
In the News
Philadelphia Inquirer
Comcast’s Sports Complex plan for South Philly would make our city less livable
In an Op-Ed, Vukan R. Vuchic of the School of Engineering and Applied Science says that Philadelphia should make transit more accessible rather than striving to accommodate more cars.
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Big Think
Can we stop AI hallucinations? And do we even want to?
Chris Callison-Burch of the School of Engineering and Applied Science says that auto-regressive generation can make it difficult for language learning models to perform fact-based or symbolic reasoning.
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CNET
How the solar eclipse will affect solar panels and the grid
Benjamin Lee of the School of Engineering and Applied Science says that the electrical grid will have to figure out how to match supply and demand during brief windows where the energy source goes away.
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The New York Times
Can your personal medical devices be recycled?
A lab at the School of Engineering and Applied Science led the development of a COVID test made from bacterial cellulose, an organic compound.
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CNBC
Students can soon major in AI at this Ivy League university—it’ll prepare them for ‘jobs that don’t yet exist’
The Raj and Neera Singh Program in Artificial Intelligence at Penn will be the first AI undergraduate engineering major at an Ivy League school, led by George Pappas of the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
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