Barrett Technology, LLC

Barrett Technology, LLC Barrett Technology is the leader in advanced robotic manipulators and medical robotics.

As a fresh spin-off from the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1990, Barrett tasked itself with the stewardship of the first haptic robot arm, named the WAM™ arm. This manipulator embodies Transparent Dynamics™ drives that fundamentally break from the conventional design of robotic manipulators. With a market yet to exist for haptic devices, Barrett diligently honed the technology during the 1990s with grants from DoE, NASA, and NSF, as well as sales to key advanced-robotics laboratories all over the world. Since 1990, Barrett Technology has pioneered core technology underlying new levels of flexibility in articulated arms and hands. Today, Barrett is the leader in advanced robotic manipulators,
earning a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for its advanced manipulator technology. Barrett provides an unmatched degree of versatility to support the broadest array of applications.

When it comes to Puck® Testimonials, we're always looking for more examples of amazing work.But one example we're especi...
01/08/2026

When it comes to Puck® Testimonials, we're always looking for more examples of amazing work.

But one example we're especially proud of is our own: Burt®

Burt® is a rehab robot, the flagship product of Barrett Technology's other half, Barrett Medical. Inside of Burt®, there are three Puck® P4-37s controlling three homemade Burt® Motors, which together create haptic feedback, graded assistance, and safe backdrivability.

Building what we need helps us understand exactly how to improve, iterate, and innovate on the existing Puck® models.

Our goal is to provide excellent service with amazing engineering, and your feedback helps us build just that. If you're building with any level of Puck® (P3s and P4s alike) we'd love to hear what you've crafted.

Shoot us an email at sales@barrett[dot]com

01/07/2026

Introducing the Puck® Utility Suite -- our way of making prototyping easy and accessible for your creations.

With Puck®, our goal has always been to allow your team to test, scale, and produce as quickly as possible. Puck Utility Suite is the next evolution of that mission.

As a software suite of three tools: Utility, Tuner, and Fader, we're eliminating the up front learning curve of working with Puck®.

To make it even clearer: If you buy a Dev Kit today, you'll be spinning motors by the end of the week using Puck® Utility Suite.

We've made these tools free of charge and accessible on our website and git repositories if you're interested in iterating towards your unique needs.

Check it out here: https://barrett.com/puck-software

01/07/2026

Something new is on its way to your workbench.

While we can't say what it is just yet -- we know you'll want to be the first to know...

We can tell you that its:
- Small
- Powerful
- Game-changing tech

(Though if you're a Puck® user, that's nothing foreign to you!)

Want to make sure you don't miss out?

DM us with your email, or comment on this post and we'll make sure to send you details right when its released.

12/22/2025

What's faster than Santa's sleigh?

The Ultra-High Speed WAM!

Check out the WAM cranked up to max power below -- still running strong after 38 years of sales.

Interested? Find a wam at https://barretttechnology.com

------

ps. If anyone trusts his own tech, it's our CEO, Bill Townsend!

Two things we learned at last week's Humanoid Summit!1. Human robot interaction is here to stay: Robots working directly...
12/17/2025

Two things we learned at last week's Humanoid Summit!

1. Human robot interaction is here to stay:

Robots working directly with humans are only getting closer to the norm rather than a distant future. Whether its training robotic systems with human behavior, or using robots to do the dishes, robots are improving lives.

2. Humanoid robotics requires space-efficient solutions:

And when that comes to interacting with humans, that means shielding complex drive systems (motors, cables, drivers, batteries) internally. With size reduction comes complexities, but we've got that covered :)

Missed our booth in Santa Clara? Visit barrett.com/puck to get a Puck P4 into your daily workflow.

------------
Here's a few more pics of Shinobu Ishigami and Claude (CJ) Valle in action.

12/15/2025

If you're building a motor controller from scratch here's how:

//////// just kidding ////////

You don't want to do that -- if you've tried, you're probably overwhelmed.

Puck P4 is smaller, stronger, and smarter...
...AND you don't have to build it from scratch.

Save yourself a year of work and visit barrett.com/puck today. Starting at $499.

12/12/2025

Today is Barrett's last day at the Humanoid Robotics Conference, and the floor is full of crazy engineering and wild ideas.

Lots of not-quite-humans and dancing robots running around the space. I think we've said “how did they even build that?” probably 100 times before noon.

And check this one out!👇
Doctor Octopus meets the Puck®.

Always fun seeing how different teams think about actuation, scale, and control — especially when worlds collide like this.

If you’re here too, come say hi.

Hexagons are the bestagons.Engineers obsess over efficiency, and hexagons are nature's most efficient shape. They tessel...
12/10/2025

Hexagons are the bestagons.

Engineers obsess over efficiency, and hexagons are nature's most efficient shape. They tessellate perfectly, maximizing area with minimal perimeter, and they show up everywhere from honeycombs to snowflakes.

So when we were designing stickers for our Puck® motor controllers, the choice was obvious.

And if you zoom in, you'll spot the Easter egg: every serial number is written in hexadecimal. Because when you're already geeking out over geometry, why not go full base-16?

Hex is the most compact way to represent binary data. Efficient, elegant, and speaks directly to how computers think. Just like our Pucks: penny-sized, yet powerful enough to drive the most advanced robots in the world.

Form follows function. Always.

❄️

Another patent for the patent wall! We're proud to announce that Barrett Technology has been awarded US Patent No. 12,49...
12/09/2025

Another patent for the patent wall!

We're proud to announce that Barrett Technology has been awarded US Patent No. 12,494,725 (issued December 9, 2025), protecting a powerful innovation in how brushless motors are electronically driven.

"This patent represents nearly four decades of refinement in motor control," said Bill Townsend, PhD, Founder & CEO. "All joints of all rehabilitation robots are actuated by brushless motors. Barrett's invention vastly improves the performance of every brushless motor it drives, which greatly benefits users of Barrett's Puck® and, by extension, Burt®."

This innovation improves not just our rehabilitation robotics, but has implications across the entire $100+ billion brushless motor market. This brings our team to a total of 9 current patents. Foreign patents pending globally.

Read the patent here: https://ppubs.uspto.gov/api/pdf/downloadPdf/12494725?requestToken=eyJzdWIiOiI0MmVjOWQ5Mi0zYjhlLTQwNDUtODk2Yi1lYjA2MzYyMjhiZmMiLCJ2ZXIiOiIyODFkYWQzZC1jYzczLTQ4NTktOWZkMC1jM2Y4ZGE0NWJkYzgiLCJleHAiOjB9

12/08/2025

Don’t gamble with your prototypes.

But if you go all-in with the Puck®, we're confident you'll win this hand...
..even at 400 W.

The other day, we got an amazing note from Prof. Martin Jagersand at the University of Alberta :At the Canadian RiseX co...
12/02/2025

The other day, we got an amazing note from Prof. Martin Jagersand at the University of Alberta :

At the Canadian RiseX conference, their adapted WAM® arm was able to show haptic telemanipulation, with members of the audience capturing data.

Martin and his lab have been working with WAM® arms since 2004. Over that time, the WAM® has continuously evolved, and they’ve turned them it into a seriously powerful tool for haptics research.

This year, his team released a new force-reflecting wrist that mounts on a teleoperator master. In simpler terms: when you move the master device, you don’t just see what the robot feels -- you feel it in your hand.

That’s a big deal for:

- Surgical robotics
- Space exploration
- Training humanoids
- Telehealth rehab robotics
- Handling hazardous materials in the clean room

We’re proud that WAM® has been part of their setup for more than two decades, and even more proud to see it used this seriously.

Huge thanks to Martin and the whole UofA team -- the WAM® is still improving!

------
𝘗.𝘚. 𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘶𝘱𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥!

If you're in the humanoid robotics space -- you've heard of X1 already and you've seen Optimus once or twice...We're sho...
12/01/2025

If you're in the humanoid robotics space -- you've heard of X1 already and you've seen Optimus once or twice...

We're showing you something new.

At the Humanoid Summit in 10 days we'll be showing off what happens behind the scenes. We're not talking teleoperation: we're talking about the Puck®.

The Puck® is a tiny (16mm diameter) motor controller that can output up to 400W of torque. It's uniquely suited for the humanoid robotic world, given small space confines, and super-light weight.

If you're headed to the Humanoid Robotics Summit, screenshot this post, and find someone with the logo below... see you in Silicon Valley!

--------------------
𝘗.𝘚. 𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘶𝘱𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥!

Address

320 Nevada Street, Ground Floor, Building Rear
Newton, MA
02460

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Barrett Technology, LLC posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share via Email
Share on WhatsApp Share on Instagram Share on Telegram