Robots in the Reading Room: GRASP Lab Brings Hands-On STEM to Roxborough Library

Original Article

In 2012, Katherine Kuchenbecher, then a faculty member at Penn Engineering in the General Robotics, Automation and Sensing (GRASP) Laboratory, gave a TED talk on haptics, the technology of touch. In the talk, Kuchenbecher describes some of the marvelous inventions that haptics make possible, from advanced dental training tools to rehabilitation therapies for stroke patients. 

A few years ago, Richard Torrance, the Children’s and Science Librarian at the Roxborough Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, stumbled across the video on YouTube. “I thought, ‘That’s really cool,’” he recalls. 

Upon realizing that the GRASP Lab was just a short drive away, he reached out to Charity Payne, the lab’s director, and proposed a partnership. “Would it be possible for some graduate students to visit the library?” Torrance wondered. He figured that, if he found the robotics at GRASP fascinating, his patrons probably would, too. 

Workshops That Spark Wonder

Now in its third year, Fun With Robots, the partnership between GRASP and the Roxborough Library, continues to grow. 

Last year, dozens of children and their parents participated in three different workshops, each focusing on a different concept — from how robots navigate the world to the challenge of teaching them to balance. “It’s a great partnership,” says Torrance. “Everybody wins — that’s the key.”

“The kids who came to the workshop were so engaged,” says Jake Welde, a doctoral student in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM), who led a session on how robots keep their balance.

Victoria Edwards, who recently defended her doctorate in MEAM, says the events offer a meaningful opportunity to share research with the public. “It is important and exciting to share our research with the public and help inspire young minds to pursue future roles in robotics,” she says.

Tiny Boats, Big Impact

Edwards, who is a member of Associate Professor Ani Hsieh’s Scalable Autonomous Robots (ScalAR) Lab, led a group of her fellow lab members, including postdoctoral fellow Thales Costa Silva, Robotics accelerated master’s student Eric Sigg, and research assistant Wanying Long (MSE’24), to demonstrate how to build tiny robotic boats.

Formally known as “miniature Autonomous Surface Vehicles,” or mASVs, the boats were about the size of a fist. Using 3D printing and other techniques, the researchers built the mASVs with motors and microcontrollers housed in a sealed compartment.

To make the experience interactive, the team redesigned the boats so children could pilot them using joysticks. “We wanted kids to take the helm,” says Long.

The boats were a hit. Children lined up to wait their turn by a huge tub filled with water, across whose surface the boats flitted with a soft whirr. “It’s been a huge buzz in the community,” says Torrance. “People ask me all the time, ‘When are they coming back next year?’”

What’s Next

This year, a new group of GRASP graduate students will bring their research to Roxborough, covering topics from the mechanics of the Roomba to flying robot swarms and origami-inspired designs:

• April 15, 4-5 p.m. | How to Be a Roomba, with Katherine Mao
• April 22, 4-5 p.m. | Flying Robot Swarms, with Yuwei Wu
• April 29, 4-5 p.m. | Origami Robotics, with Daniel Feshbach

“We are delighted to have this opportunity to give young Philadelphians a chance to experience the incredible research happening at GRASP,” says GRASP staff member Jillian Mallon, who manages the program. “We are so grateful to our graduate students for sharing their work and knowledge with the community.”

The events also inspire future engineers. “One girl said she wanted to go to college in the future and study engineering,” says Long. “I am happy to see there is a seed planted in her heart.” 

When Siming He, a Robotics accelerated master’s student, co-led a workshop on robotic wayfinding, one student told him about a project she was working on at home. “It reminded me why outreach like this is so important and how it can spark a lifelong interest in STEM,” he says. 

The Fun With Robots partnership between the GRASP Laboratory and the Roxborough Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia is free and open to the public. All events take place at the Roxborough Branch, which is located at 6245 Ridge Ave., Philadelphia, PA, 19128.