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MEAM Seminar: “Differentiable Algorithms for Non-differentiable Robotics: Dexterous Manipulation via Implicit Learning and Control”

Wu and Chen Auditorium (Room 101), Levine Hall 3330 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States

As we ask our robotic systems to become more capable, with the ultimate aim of deploying robots into complex and ever-changing scenarios, the vast space of potential tasks drives the need for flexibility and generalization. For all the promise of big-data machine learning, what will happen when robots deploy to our homes and workplaces and […]

MEAM Seminar: “Leveraging Impedance Properties for Free Self-Sensing in Actuators for Compact Robots”

Towne 319 220 S. 33rd Street, Philadelphia, United States

Self-sensing actuators provide a compelling approach to designing compact robotic systems by integrating sensing capabilities directly into the actuator, eliminating the need for external sensors. This presentation, titled "Leveraging Impedance Properties for Free Self-Sensing in Actuators for Compact Robots," highlights how the intrinsic impedance properties of actuators—resistance, inductance, and induced EMF—can be harnessed to achieve […]

MEAM Seminar: “Robots that Evolve on Demand”

Wu & Chen Auditorium

Soft robots have the potential to adapt their morphologies and behavioral control policies to changing tasks and environments. Inspired by the dynamic plasticity of living organisms and the general adaptability of animals, this talk will discuss several shape-shifting soft robot platforms for multi-task performance and multi-environment locomotion—for example, robotic skins, robotic fabrics, and robots with […]

MEAM Seminar: “Miniaturized Robots and Probes for Precision Health”

Wu and Chen Auditorium (Room 101), Levine Hall 3330 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States

Designing miniaturized robots and bioelectronic devices will enable access throughout the entire human body, leading to novel procedures at the cellular level and offering localized diagnosis and treatment with unprecedented precision and efficiency. However, the soft, complex, and multi-dimensional nature of biological systems poses significant challenges for mechanical design, manufacturing, materials engineering, and functional integration […]

MEAM Seminar: “Real-Time Safe and Energy-Efficient UAV Motion Planning in Windy Urban Environments”

Towne 319 220 S. 33rd Street, Philadelphia, United States

Recent advancements in hardware and software are bringing autonomous aerial vehicles closer than ever to finally delivering on futuristic visions of flying cars and package delivery drones. However, the safe deployment of autonomous aircraft at scale in urban environments poses significant challenges, one of which being uncertainties contributed by complex spatial and temporal winds. Clusters […]

MEAM Ph.D. Thesis Defense: “Leveraging Impedance-Related Properties for Free Self-Sensing in Actuators for Compact Robots”

Raisler Lounge (Room 225), Towne Building 220 South 33rd Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States

Robotic systems, particularly at small scales, require efficient actuation and sensing solutions that maintain compactness. We are interested in systems where sensing and actuation are seamlessly integrated, specifically using impedance-related properties—such as electrical resistance, induced electromotive force (emf), and inductance— for free self-sensing in actuators without additional sensors. We explore three main example applications: (1) […]

MEAM Ph.D. Thesis Defense: “Macroscopic Ensemble Methods for Multi Robot Task Assignment in Dynamic Environments”

Levine 307 3330 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States

With finite resources to complete tasks like monitoring, coverage, and search, the challenge lies in identifying and performing tasks that can change both in frequency and location. One potential solution is teams of robots equipped with the necessary capabilities to complete the desired tasks. However, robot teams require methods that effectively assign robots to tasks, […]

MEAM Master’s Thesis Defense: “Investigating Jet Interactions in the Multi-Jet SALP Robot”

David Rittenhouse Laboratory Building, Room 4E19 209 S. 33rd Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States

Jet propulsion is a common locomotion strategy in nature. We developed an underwater particle image velocimetry (PIV) system to investigate the hydrodynamic effects of the SALP (Salp-inspired Approach to Low-energy Propulsion) robot, a soft underwater robot that swims using jet propulsion. Multiple SALP units can be physically connected to form a multi-SALP system, coordinating their […]

MEAM Master’s Thesis Defense: “Learning a Vision-Based Footstep Planner for Hierarchical Walking Control on Unstructured Terrain”

David Rittenhouse Laboratory Building, Room 4C4 209 S. 33rd Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States

Bipedal robots demonstrate high potential in navigating challenging terrains through dynamic ground contact. However, current frameworks often depend solely on proprioception or use manually designed visual processing pipelines, which are fragile in real-world settings and complicate real-time footstep planning in unstructured environments. To overcome this problem, this work proposes a vision-based hierarchical control framework that […]

MEAM Ph.D. Thesis Defense: “Real-Time Perception and Mixed-Integer Footstep Control for Underactuated Bipedal Walking on Rough Terrain”

Towne 319 220 S. 33rd Street, Philadelphia, United States

The promise of bipedal robots is to go where people go, serving as surrogates for human labor in dangerous, unstructured environments. For the most part, this promise remains unrealized. The primary challenge for controlling bipedal locomotion is underactuation. Standing on a single leg limits control authority, requiring appropriate foot placement to generate or absorb momentum […]