Barrett founder Bill Townsend inspecting a WAM Arm in 1997

Barrett founder Bill Townsend inspecting a WAM Arm in 1997

For three decades 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.

As a fresh spin-off from the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1988, 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.

Leading the Industry

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.

Focusing on our Strengths

In early 2001, Barrett realigned its mission and corporate structure to improve its direct responsiveness to industrial and commercial applications that can benefit from versatile and people-compatible robotic manipulators. While loyal to its roots as a technology pioneer, Barrett is on an exciting trajectory to leverage its strong technology foundation by growing and enabling the broader adoption of robots in industry and commerce.