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Robotics

Q&A: Dean Kumar and the ‘drone’ sightings
Picture of a drone flying lit nighttime cityscape

For more than a month, residents in New Jersey, parts of Pennsylvania, and New York have spotted unidentified flying objects, which local residents refer to as “drones,” hovering over neighborhoods, critical infrastructure and even restricted sites. To learn more about the mysterious flying objects, Penn Today spoke with local expert Dean Vijay Kumar of the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

(Image: Courtesy of iStock/Naypong)

Q&A: Dean Kumar and the ‘drone’ sightings

Penn Engineering Dean Vijay Kumar discusses the mysterious flying objects, or “drones,” hovering around parts of the East Coast.
Teaching robots common sense, empathy and other forms of intelligence
A person programming a robotic arm with a laptop.

Image: iStock/gorodenkoff

Teaching robots common sense, empathy and other forms of intelligence

Antonio Loquercio, an assistant professor in electrical and systems engineering, explores the potential that robots can have in answering fundamental questions on decision-making.

Melissa Pappas

Giving robots superhuman vision using radio signals
(From left) Freddy Liu, Haowen Lai, and Mingmin Zhao, assistant professor in CIS, setting up a robot equipped with PanoRadar for a test run.

(From left) Freddy Liu, Haowen Lai, and Mingmin Zhao, assistant professor in CIS, setting up a robot equipped with PanoRadar for a test run.

(Image: Sylvia Zhang)

Giving robots superhuman vision using radio signals

Engineers have developed a new tool to transform simple radio waves into detailed, 3D views of the environment.

Ian Scheffler

Mastering physical contact with new algorithm for robots
A robotic arm balancing a tray in a lab.

The new algorithm allows the robotic arm to balance and move a waiter’s plastic tray, mastering control of a sliding object—a previously impossible task for robots.

(Image: DAIR Lab)

Mastering physical contact with new algorithm for robots

Penn Engineers have developed an algorithm that makes previously impossible tasks possible for autonomous robots, like controlling the motion of a sliding object.

Ian Scheffler

Pioneering robotic triage
remote controlled robotic vehicle

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Pioneering robotic triage

By combining the power of autonomous systems and medical expertise, a team of engineers and physician scientists from Penn are tackling the challenge of mass casualty triage.
Racing to the future
A small racecar in a makeshift track in Penn Engineering with student spectators.

“Understanding the human factors and ethical implications of autonomous systems is just as crucial as the technical components,” says Mangharam. “This holistic approach aims to produce well-rounded engineers capable of addressing the multifaceted challenges of autonomous vehicle technology. Our goal is to equip them with the tools and mindset to tackle the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow.”

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Racing to the future

Rahul Mangharam’s scaled-down, self-driving race cars are revamping engineering education at Penn.
Exploring the limits of robotic systems
A robotic arm in a lab.

Image: iStock/gorodenkoff

Exploring the limits of robotic systems

Bruce Lee, a doctoral student in Penn Engineering’s Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering, offers insights into the fundamental limits of machine learning.

From Penn Engineering Today

Teaching doglike robots to walk on the moon’s dusty, icy surface
Close-up of NASA's LASSIE robot, logo in frame.

Penn researchers are part of a collaborative multidisciplinary effort that’s preparing doglike robots to traverse extraterrestrial landscapes, like those that are analogous to the moon’s surface.

(Image: Courtesy of Sean Grasso)

Teaching doglike robots to walk on the moon’s dusty, icy surface

Researchers from Penn are part of a NASA-funded multidisciplinary collaborative effort that’s teaching robots to navigate the extraterrestrial craters, like the moon and Mars.
Microrobots: An emerging biomedical trend
Medical concept in the field of nanotechnology, a nanobot studies or kills a virus. 3D rendering.

Image: Courtesy of iStock / K_E_N

Microrobots: An emerging biomedical trend

In a Q&A with Penn Today, Hyun (Michel) Koo of the School of Dental Medicine and Edward Steager of the School of Engineering and Applied Science discuss the emerging trend of microrobots in healthcare.