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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

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

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