AI in the Physical World: Helping Robotic Arms Solve Problems Using Tools News / June 4, 2026 Penn researchers developed an AI framework that enables robotic arms to invent and use tools on their own, allowing robots to adapt to unfamiliar tasks and environments by combining physical reasoning, tool design, and problem-solving in the real world. Read More
Dancing Through Life: From Origami Robotics to Sculptural Art News / June 2, 2026 An artist-in-residence collaboration between Penn’s Sung Robotics Lab and The Arts League of Philadelphia shows how origami-inspired robotics can transform contemporary art, resulting in kinetic sculptures that blur the boundaries between engineering, creativity, and public engagement. Read More
From Senior Design to Startup: Orble Brings Boba to Towne News / April 14, 2026 Late nights in Towne just got a little sweeter. Orble, a student-founded startup that began as a 2023 senior design project, has launched its first boba tea vending machine on Penn’s campus in the Towne building. What started as a classroom idea has evolved into a fully operational pilot, bringing... Read More
When Bone Behaves Like a Sponge: A New Platform for Observing How Cells Feel Force News / March 2, 2026 Penn engineers developed a nanoengineered, 3D-printed scaffold that recreates the complex forces experienced inside bone, giving researchers a new way to observe how living cells respond to mechanical stress. Read More
Shujie Yang Harnesses Sound to Build Microrobotic Medicine News / March 2, 2026 Assistant Professor Shujie Yang is pioneering ultrasound-powered microrobotic tools that can manipulate cells without physical contact, advancing new approaches to disease diagnostics, immune system research and highly targeted cancer therapies. Read More
Powering AI from Space, at Scale News / January 29, 2026 Penn Engineers have proposed a scalable, solar-powered orbital data center design that passively maintains orientation using tethers and sunlight, offering a feasible path to meet growing AI computing demands while reducing the environmental impact of terrestrial data centers. Read More
Nathan Wei on Renewable Energy, Fluid Mechanics and the Shaping of Humble Engineers News / September 24, 2024 With a research career dedicated to atmospheric wind and fluid mechanics, Nathan Wei, Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM), takes his endeavors almost wherever the wind blows. Guided by his desire to make an impact in the realm of energy and sustainability and his commitment to mentoring the next generation... Read More
Y-Prize Technologies 2024-25 News / September 24, 2024 The Y-Prize Competition kicked off on Monday, September 23, offering students the chance to transform Penn Engineering innovations into business ideas—and compete for a $10,000 prize. This year’s competition includes two technologies from Penn’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM). This Year’s Technologies MORF: Magnetic Origami Reprogramming and... Read More
Pushing the Limits of Scientific Discovery with Machine Learning News / July 30, 2024 What if scientists and policy-makers could automate and optimize the filtering of the massive amount of data available across each system they interact with to pull out information that could help humans solve problems across issues including food security, personalized healthcare, climate change and more? With machine learning, we just... Read More
Cynthia Sung Receives Army Early Career Award to Make Robots Move Like Animals News / June 17, 2024 Inspired by the variety of muscles that control movement in animals, Cynthia Sung, Gabel Family Term Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM) at Penn Engineering, aims to advance movement and stiffness control in today’s robots to make future robotic platforms more adaptable and efficient. Her project, “Multiscale Actuation and Control for... Read More
