Barrett Technology
Barrett Technology is an American robotics company founded in 1988 by Bill Townsend, an MIT spin-off now based in Newton, Massachusetts. Townsend created the WAM, the Whole-Arm Manipulation arm, at MIT's Artificial Intelligence Laboratory with NASA funding, and the WAM became Barrett's first product in 1990. The company is best known in robotics research for the BarrettHand, a self-contained three-fingered grasper with eight axes, four brushless motors and its own servo controllers and communications electronics. The current BH8-series hand weighs 980 grams and switches its grasp shape electronically in under half a second, with serial and CAN bus connections. Barrett's WAM technology was licensed to MAKO Surgical for surgical robotics, and since 2019 the company has sold Burt, an upper-limb robotic trainer for neurological rehabilitation. Bill Townsend is CEO.
💡Notable Achievement: The WAM arm was recognised in the Millennium Edition of Guinness World Records as the most advanced robotic arm.
What Does Barrett Technology Do?
Barrett Technology is an MIT spin-off making the WAM arm, the self-contained BarrettHand and the Burt rehabilitation robot, used by research labs and clinics worldwide.
“MIT-born robot arm and hand pioneer.”
BarrettHand
Three-fingered, eight-axis hand with its own controllers, 980 g.
WAM Arm
Backdrivable whole-arm manipulator created at MIT with NASA funding.
Burt Rehab
Upper-limb robotic trainer launched in the US in 2019.
What Can Barrett Technology Robots Actually Do?
Cross-portfolio operational capabilities, manipulation tasks, and environmental competencies
Research grasping, haptic arms and rehabilitation.
Adaptive Grasping
Three fingers reconfigure the grasp in under half a second.
Rehabilitation
Burt trains the upper limb after neurological injury.
Barrett Technology Robot Hands
Showing 1 of 1 total model
BarrettHand BH8-280
Manufactured by Barrett Technology
The BarrettHand BH8-280 is a compact, self-contained three-fingered robotic grasper with intelligent underactuation, featuring two multi-jointed fingers with 180° lateral mobility and a fixed thumb for securing diverse objects. Housing four brushless motors, servo-controllers, and CAN communications in a lightweight 1.2 kg palm, it supports versatile grasp types via high-precision encoders and software routines, enabling rapid reconfiguration without tool changes for flexible automation on robotic arms.
Barrett Technology Software & AI Ecosystem
Developer platforms, fleet management portals, autonomy intelligence, and enterprise integrations
libbarrett
Real-Time Control Library
C++ real-time controls library that runs the WAM arm and BarrettHand.
Barrett Technology Timeline & Milestones
Evolutionary history, landmark prototypes, major acquisitions, and commercial roadmap
Barrett Technology founded
Bill Townsend founds Barrett Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as an MIT spin-off, with early funding from investor Julianne Barrett.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
WAM arm becomes first product
Barrett brings the WAM whole-arm manipulator, created by Townsend at MIT with NASA funding, to market as its first product.
Source: barrett.com
First BarrettHand prototype built
Barrett builds the first BarrettHand prototype, combining Barrett technology with work from the University of Pennsylvania.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Licensing deal with MAKO Surgical
Barrett signs an exclusive licensing agreement with MAKO Surgical Corp. for medical applications of its WAM technology.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Burt rehabilitation robot launched in the US
Barrett launches Burt, the Barrett Upper-extremity Robotic Trainer, in the United States for neurological rehabilitation.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Barrett Technology Competitors by Category
Direct industry rivals grouped by specific robotics domain
What Makes Barrett Technology Different?
Editorial AnalysisOrigin of Bots objective strategic assessment, engineering moats, and commercial hurdles
Key Strengths & Moats
- ✓Decades of research use, since the 1990s.
- ✓Diversified into clinical rehabilitation with Burt.
Core Strategic Focus
Growing Burt installations and next-generation Puck controllers.
Road Ahead & Challenges
- •Small company against newer low-cost hands.
- •Research market is niche.
Barrett Technology vs Key Competitors
Strategic capability matrix across platform categories, commercial readiness, and target markets
Category / Focus
- BarrettHand BH8-280
- Three-finger adaptive gripper hand
- Schunk SVH
- Five-finger hand
- Shadow Dexterous Hand
- Research dexterous hand
- Ability Hand
- Bionic hand
Primary Use
- BarrettHand BH8-280
- Teleoperation, assembly
- Schunk SVH
- Service robotics, AI grasping research
- Shadow Dexterous Hand
- Teleoperation, assembly
- Ability Hand
- Teleoperation, dexterous manipulation
Degrees of Freedom
- BarrettHand BH8-280
- 8 (4 active, 4 underactuated)
- Schunk SVH
- 20
- Shadow Dexterous Hand
- 24 (20 actuated + 4 underactuated)
- Ability Hand
- 6
Release Year
- BarrettHand BH8-280
- 2010
- Schunk SVH
- 2013
- Shadow Dexterous Hand
- 2004
- Ability Hand
- 2021
| Strategic Dimension | BarrettHand BH8-280 | Schunk SVH | Shadow Dexterous Hand | Ability Hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category / Focus | Three-finger adaptive gripper hand | Five-finger hand | Research dexterous hand | Bionic hand |
| Primary Use | Teleoperation, assembly | Service robotics, AI grasping research | Teleoperation, assembly | Teleoperation, dexterous manipulation |
| Degrees of Freedom | 8 (4 active, 4 underactuated) | 20 | 24 (20 actuated + 4 underactuated) | 6 |
| Release Year | 2010 | 2013 | 2004 | 2021 |
Corporate Ecosystem & Ownership Structure
Parent company relationships, historical acquisitions, and global operating facilities
Global Facilities & Operating Hubs
Barrett Technology Headquarters
HQNewton, Massachusetts, United States
Frequently Asked Questions
8 AnswersVerified answers, company specifications, and deployment details about Barrett Technology
What is Barrett Technology?
Barrett Technology is a Massachusetts robotics company founded in 1988 by Bill Townsend. It makes the WAM robotic arm, the BarrettHand gripper and the Burt rehabilitation robot.
Who founded Barrett Technology?
Bill Townsend founded Barrett in 1988 after developing the WAM arm at MIT's Artificial Intelligence Laboratory with NASA funding. He is still the company's CEO.
What is the BarrettHand?
The BarrettHand is a self-contained three-fingered robotic hand with eight axes and four brushless motors. Its fingers can reconfigure electronically in under half a second, and it weighs about 980 grams.
How does the BarrettHand connect to a robot?
The BH8-series hand uses industry-standard serial communications or high-speed CAN bus, with USB adapters included. It houses its own communications electronics and servo controllers.
What is the WAM arm?
The WAM, short for Whole-Arm Manipulation, is a backdrivable robotic arm Townsend created at MIT. It was Barrett's first product on the market in 1990 and is widely used in research.
What is Barrett's connection to MAKO Surgical?
In 1998 Barrett signed an exclusive licence with MAKO Surgical for medical uses of its WAM technology. MAKO received FDA approval for a modified WAM knee surgery system in 2005.
What is Burt?
Burt, the Barrett Upper-extremity Robotic Trainer, is a rehabilitation robot launched in the US in 2019 for people recovering from neurological injury, and it passed 100 US installations by 2025.
Where is Barrett Technology based?
Barrett was founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is now headquartered at 320 Nevada Street in Newton, Massachusetts, in the United States.
Verified Data & Editorial Assurance
Compiled from verified corporate filings, official Barrett Technology datasheets, and robotics engineering registries. Information has been verified against official manufacturer documentation. For commercial procurement or proprietary integrations, contact the manufacturer directly.