Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Penn

This graduation season, we're celebrating the ten MEAM graduate students that were recognized by Penn Engineering and MEAM faculty for their service, exceptional teaching assistance, scholarship and leadership. 🔗 blog.me.upenn.edu/celebrating-st…

This graduation season, we're celebrating the ten MEAM undergraduates that were recognized by Penn Engineering and MEAM faculty for their service, creativity, scholarship and more. 🔗 blog.me.upenn.edu/celebrating-st…

Meet Polaire, a robotic inspection system designed to enable noninvasive evaluation of commercial heating, ventilation and air conditioning ductwork. The mobile robot navigates through ductwork and uses onboard cameras and sensors to assess interior conditions.

Leading the University of Pennsylvania's 270th Commencement procession, Penn Engineering's Class of 2026 marches into the future with excitement and the knowledge they need to accomplish their goals and responsibly impact the world. Congratulations, Class of 2026! #PennEngineeringProud #PennGrad

Congratulations to Penn Engineering's Class of 2026! In her speech, student speaker Julia Fremberg (ENG’26) drew a parallel between Penn’s interconnected buildings and the vital bonds between students. "As you move from place to place, from goal to goal, never forget to cherish those in-between moments. The E-Quad tunnels were never just about getting somewhere faster. They were about who you found—and who you became—along the way." #PennEngineeringProud #PennGrad

Meet Allevia Arm, an assistive-feeding exoskeleton arm for ALS patients. Allevia Arm restores natural arm motion, with three degrees of shoulder movement and elbow control and a rigid exoskeleton brace that’s easily wearable and enables independent feeding.

Meet Palaemon, an underwater diver propulsion vehicle that enables mobility while preserving dexterity for underwater contractors. Mounted to a diver’s backplate and controlled at the hip, the system frees both hands for tool use while providing multi-axis propulsion.

Meet GAIA, an autonomous robot that creates temporary images on grass surfaces without paint or additives. Using rollers and air blowers, the system bends grass in different directions to produce patterns, enabling the display of logos or graphics while preserving turf health.

Meet HangLogic, a smart training device designed to improve how recreational rock climbers build finger strength. The system tracks load at the individual finger level and provides real-time feedback, enabling more personalized and data-driven training.

Samantha McBride (@Sam_A_McBride) has been awarded the Student Choice Ford Motor Company Award for Faculty Advising in recognition of her dedication in helping students realize their educational, career and personal goals. Congratulations! 🎉

Closing out our Spring Seminar Series, we welcomed Matei Ciocarlie of Columbia for a seminar on robotic manipulation as a full-stack problem, spanning hardware, sensing and learning to enable dexterous robotic systems. Learn more about this speaker: events.seas.upenn.edu/event/meam-sem…

Shawn Koohy receives the Fall 2025 Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award in Mechanical Engineering for his efforts in ENM 5310: Data-driven Modeling and Probabilistic Scientific Computing, a demanding graduate-level course. Read more: blog.me.upenn.edu/shawn-koohy-re…

Congrats to Mateusz Jaszczuk on completing his master’s thesis on adaptive impedance control for human-robot interaction! His work helps robots safely adapt in real time, distinguishing between tool changes and human interaction. Read more: blog.me.upenn.edu/mateusz-jaszcz…

Meet TerraFix, a concrete anchor installation system designed to streamline a complex, multi-step process that often requires extensive tooling and labor. Team TerraFix received the John Couloucoundis Prize, awarded for the best presentation of a senior design project.

Congratulations to Katherine Alcazar for defending her Master's thesis on the tribological behavior of multi-asperity contact toward controlling friction at the nanoscale. Alcazar was advised by Robert Carpick, John Henry Towne Professor (right).

Microplastics are everywhere, from the air and water to everyday clothing. In a recent @CBSNews feature, Penn Engineering’s Samantha McBride (@Sam_A_McBride, @MEAM_Penn) discusses her lab’s work to detect and remove these particles. "Everywhere we've looked, bloodstreams, semen, any type of bodily tissue, microplastics have been found."

Meet Corallus, a modular robotic gripper built for adaptability and simplicity. Its compliant, underactuated design allows it to grasp a wide range of objects using just one motor, without complex control systems. Team Corallus was advised by Mark Yim, Asa Whitney Professor.

Congratulations Samantha McBride (@Sam_A_McBride), recipient of the Ford Motor Company Award for Faculty Advising in recognition of her dedication in helping students realize their educational, career and personal goals.

Thank you to our incredible panelists: @MEAM_Penn Nat Trask, @ShuYangPenn @mseatpenn Vinayak Vinayak, and George Hollyer, for “Atoms & Algorithms: From Simulation to Synthesis in AI-Driven Materials Research” discussion during Penn AI Month. Thank you, Ali Zaidi, for moderating.

This week, we invited Monica Martinez Wilhelmus of Brown University for a seminar bridging biology and robotics. It explored how metachronal propulsion, a coordinated paddling strategy observed in crustaceans, can inform the design of bio-inspired robotic systems.