Robotics | Penn Today

A simulation of the mathematics of a bee colony.

Teaching robots to build without blueprints

Researchers at Penn Engineering have developed mathematical rules to simulate robots who behave like bees, building complex shapes without instructions, pointing to a new manufacturing frontier inspired by nature.

2 min. read

After high-profile derailments, this founder turned his engineering skills toward improving rail safety

In a Q&A, Penn alumnus Tejas Agarwal discusses his work at Pennovation and the founding of his railroad infrastructure company, Sahay AI.

World’s most adaptable robot swarm builds without plans, blueprints, or coordination

Mark Yim and Jordan Raney of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and colleagues have developed a swarm strategy that allows tiny robots to self-assemble into honeycomb-like structures by reacting to what’s around them.

Robots in the reading room: GRASP Lab brings hands-on STEM to Roxborough

Now in its third year, a partnership between GRASP and the Roxborough Library called Fun with Robots introduces robotics to kids through workshops led by Penn Engineering graduate students.

A robotic aerial drone on Penn’s Locust Walk.

Flying high with the Penn Aerial Robotics club

For more than a decade, Penn students have been building and competing with unmanned aerial vehicles. They unveil their latest creations, an autonomous drone-like tilt-rotor aircraft and a model plane, before they head to an international competition in Los Angeles this spring.

7 min. read

UPenn grad stars in new film ‘Rule Breakers’ highlighting Afghanistan’s all-girls robotics team

Alumna Amber Afzali discusses her starring role in “Rule Breakers,” a film that showcases the making of Afghanistan’s first all-girls robotics team.

Picture of a drone flying lit nighttime cityscape

Q&A

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.

A person programming a robotic arm with a laptop.

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.

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

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.

Superhuman vision lets robots see through walls, smoke with new LiDAR-like eyes

Mingmin Zhao of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and colleagues are using radio signals to allow robots to “see” beyond traditional sensor limits.

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