Barrett Technology, LLC

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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.

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.

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.

❄️

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.

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!

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

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!

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

11/21/2025

🚀 Out of This World 🚀

And we're getting ready for takeoff...

Visit launchpad P4: https://barrett.com/puck

11/18/2025

The Dev Kit looks simple — but it took a lot of late nights to make it feel that way.

We wanted a bench-ready setup that let engineers go from unboxing to first spin in minutes.

That meant rethinking the whole flow:
- clean power regulation
- CANbus that works every time
- and a utility app showing torque, velocity, and position

The goal was the same one we’ve had since the first Puck® prototypes: remove barriers so you can test faster.

It’s a small board, but a lot of engineering pride lives in it.

If you’re building with the P4-16™ or P4-37™, this is the easiest place to start.

10/17/2025

A huge week for the Barrett team!

6 of us are out in the world this week sharing what we love:
2 at ASHMM connecting with hospital leaders - Matt Rigby and Shinobu Ishigami
2 at the Eddies celebrating as finalists and showing off Burt® - Bill Townsend and Ross Riley
2 at RoboBusiness demoing the Puck® - CJ Valle and Bailey Noack

From rehab robots to drive systems, we're pushing forward the future of robotics at Barrett Medical and Barrett Technology.

Thank you for every amazing conversation we've had this week!

10/16/2025

Successful Day 1 at RoboBusiness and onto Day 2!!

We’re meeting incredible engineers while showing the Puck® (both P4-16 and P4-37) in action — including a brand new demo making its first appearance here in Santa Clara.

If you’re at the convention, come see it for yourself -- you’ll spot the team in our Barrett blue.

🔗 barrett.com/puck
🤖

08/28/2025

Want to run a P4-16 or P4-37?

Take a look at our Quick Start Software...

Step 1: Mount the Puck on your motor
Step 2: Plug into the Dev Board with a 24V adapter
Step 3: Connect the CAN adapter to your computer
Step 4: Launch the Puck Utility App and scan for nodes
Step 5: Calibrate and start testing

In just a few minutes, you'll be mounted, powered, and spinning motors in your lab. You can explore torque, velocity, and position -- all without breaking a sweat (literally!).

We built this Dev Kit so engineers could push the Puck to its limits without weeks of wiring.

Our Quick Start Manual makes that process even faster.

Check it out athttps://web.barrett.com/support/Puck_Documentation/P4-Dev-Kit-Quick-Start-Manual-RevAD.pdf

$The Puck® motor controller is a fraction of the size of its competitors — yet it holds its own in every way that counts....$

08/27/2025

The Puck® motor controller is a fraction of the size of its competitors — yet it holds its own in every way that counts.

• P4-16 → 16mm diameter, 2 grams, 250W peak drive power.
• P4-37 → 37mm diameter, 16 grams, 1.75kW peak drive power.

Competitors take up 2–3x more space to deliver similar performance.

That extra bulk means more heat, more wiring, and more headaches.

Puck changes the equation: It’s not just smaller. It’s smarter, smoother, and built for mobile robotic systems where every millimeter matters.

👉 That’s why we build the Puck in-house: staying compact 𝘢𝘯𝘥 competitive.

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P.S. save this post to refer back to our competitor comparison or send it to a friend!

Address

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

Website

http://www.barrett.com/

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