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Innovation

The world’s smallest programmable, autonomous robots
A microscopic robot on a U.S. penny for scale.

A microrobot on a U.S. penny for scale.

(Image: Michael Simari, University of Michigan)

The world’s smallest programmable, autonomous robots

Engineers at Penn Engineering have created robots barely visible to the naked eye that operate without tethers, magnetic fields or joystick-like controls.

Ian Scheffler

2 min. read

University of Pennsylvania launches StartUP Fund

University of Pennsylvania launches StartUP Fund

StartUP Fund is a new early-stage investment fund dedicated to supporting innovative startup companies founded by Penn researchers and managed by Penn’s Office of the Chief Innovation Officer (OCINO).

Startup recognized for milestones in cancer care
Marco Ruella in the Ruella Lab, collaborating with two lab technicians. Ruella is wearing a white lab coat and holding up a chemical sample. Two of his colleagues are observing the sample.

Marco Ruella, associate professor of medicine at PSOM and hematologist-oncologist at Penn Medicine, collaborates with his colleagues in the Ruella Lab.

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Startup recognized for milestones in cancer care

During the Penn Center for Innovation’s 10th annual Celebration of Innovation, viTToria Biotherapeutics was presented with the Startup of the Year Award for its remarkable progress in the development of promising treatment of T-cell lymphoma.

4 min. read

The path from labs to the marketplace
A model of teeth used for dental practice.

“We saw vast, untapped potential in dental medicine, where translating and commercializing academic discoveries still lags,” says Hyun (Michel) Koo, CiPD’s co-founder and director. “With mounting evidence linking oral and systemic health, we can turn CiPD’s innovations into real-world solutions that reduce the burden of oral diseases and improve overall health.” 

(Image: Courtesy of William and Phyllis Mack Institute for Innovation Management)

The path from labs to the marketplace

Penn’s William and Phyllis Mack Institute for Innovation Management helps scientists develop their business acumen and access partners to help bring their breakthroughs to market.

From the William and Phyllis Mack Institute for Innovation Management

2 min. read

X-ray plates from 1896 give a snapshot of Penn’s place in history
An X-ray plate from 1896.

Two X-ray plates from Arthur Goodspeed, believed to have created the world’s first X-ray image, were donated by his family to Penn’s University Archives.

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X-ray plates from 1896 give a snapshot of Penn’s place in history

A gift from the family of Penn physicist Arthur Goodspeed represents the beginning of a revolution in medicine that began at Penn.

From Penn Medicine News

5 min. read

A guide to Climate Week 2025
A person scooping leaves out of the BioPond with a net.

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A guide to Climate Week 2025

Taking place Oct. 13 to 17, Penn’s sixth Climate Week includes dozens of in-person and virtual events that cross disciplines, from energy policy and history to engineering and medicine

2 min. read

AI at the eyelid: Glasses that track health through your blinks
Dongyin Hu models BlinkWise glasses at his computer station.

Penn Engineering graduate student Dongyin Hu models BlinkWise, an AI-powered system that uses radio waves to monitor blinks and eye health.

(Image: Sylvia Zhang)

AI at the eyelid: Glasses that track health through your blinks

Researchers at Penn Engineering have developed BlinkWise, an AI-powered system that uses radio waves to monitor blinks and eye health.

Ian Scheffler

2 min. read

Helping robots work together to explore the Moon and Mars
forthcoming

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Helping robots work together to explore the Moon and Mars

Penn Engineers, NASA, and five other universities tested robotic systems designed to help unmanned explorers cooperate in the dunes of White Sands, New Mexico, paving the way for Moon and Mars exploration.

5 min. read

Penn Nursing and engineering students tackle health care challenges at inaugural Datathon

Penn Nursing and engineering students tackle health care challenges at inaugural Datathon

Nearly 70 students from Penn Nursing and Penn Engineering participated in the Datathon, sponsored by the Penn Community Collaboratory for Co-Creation last month, using the MIMIC-IV database, a massive critical care dataset, to develop innovative, data-driven solutions for real-world health care challenges. Team 6 CARE: A Critical-care Acuity & Resource Evaluation Metric earned the top award by creating a solution to better evaluate patient acuity and resource needs.

Penn Engineers send quantum signals with standard internet protocol
Yichi Zhang wearing sunglasses in the Penn Engineering lab.

Yichi Zhang, a doctoral student in materials science and engineering, inspects the source of the quantum signal.

(Image: Sylvia Zhang)

Penn Engineers send quantum signals with standard internet protocol

Penn engineers have developed a “Q-Chip” (quantum-classical hybrid internet by photonics) signal which coordinates quantum and classical data and can run on the same infrastructure that carries everyday online traffic.

Ian Scheffler

2 min. read