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Robotics

A robot made of sticks
A person sticks a paper coffee cup inside some branches holding together the stickbot.

Carroll adjusts StickBot to work in grasper mode, where the robot holds a coffee cup. 

A robot made of sticks

Devin Carroll, a doctoral candidate in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, is designing a modular robot called StickBot, which may be adapted for rehabilitation use in global public health settings.

Kristina García

3D printing drones work like bees to build and repair structures while flying
Two drone-like robots. A smaller one is on the left. A larger one is on the right. The larger one is making a 3D printout of something that looks like white foam.

3D printing drones work like bees to build and repair structures while flying

Researchers including Weitzman’s Robert Stuart-Smith have made a swarm of bee-inspired drones that can collectively 3D print material while in flight, allowing unbounded manufacturing for building and repairing structures.

From Penn Engineering Today , From the Weitzman School of Design

Deploying microrobotics for dental treatments and diagnostics
A dental model of teeth.

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Deploying microrobotics for dental treatments and diagnostics

Penn Dental Medicine and its Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry show that microrobots can access the difficult to reach surfaces of the root canal with controlled precision.

From Penn Dental Medicine

Shapeshifting microrobots can brush and floss teeth
Graphic shows how nanoparticle-based microrobots can remove dental plaque from teeth with their motion and the activity of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to kill microbes

Shapeshifting microrobots can brush and floss teeth

In a proof-of-concept study, researchers from the School of Dental Medicine and School of Engineering and Applied Science shows that a hands-free system could effectively automate the treatment and removal of tooth-decay-causing bacteria and dental plaque.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Can electric vehicles revitalize American manufacturing?
Gloved hands in a car factory working on an electric vehicle motor.

Can electric vehicles revitalize American manufacturing?

Hyundai's investment in high-tech production facilities in the U.S. could fuel innovation and employment growth, says Wharton's Lynn Wu.

From Knowledge at Wharton