News Article

MIT and Olin College Engineers Innovate at Barrett Technology
Date: Mar 28, 2012
Source: Company Data

Featured firm in this article: Barrett Technology Inc of Newton, MA



Barrett Technology, Inc., the leader in advanced robotic manipulators, has partnered with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Undergraduate Practice Opportunity Program (UPOP) and Olin College to recruit elite engineering students for summer internships. Both institutions work throughout the year to provide these students with real-world professional environments; and the Boston/Cambridge area, with its renowned technology and science companies, offers one of the best training grounds for aspiring engineers.

Barrett sponsors field trips, career symposiums, and live product demonstrations at its offices. Students demonstrating academic excellence in science and engineering are invited to apply for internships, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Students receive guidance and instruction from Barrett’s team of world-class engineers and technicians from June through August.

Last summer, interns were tasked with several specific projects. One challenging project was to design a pedestal, or stand, to support the weight of the robotic arm while being aesthetically pleasing, cost-effective, unobtrusive, stable, foldable for travel, with a total mass of only 5 kg. The students worked in teams, wrote technical overviews for each project, and documented all phases of their work. They ultimately delivered a machine-ready pedestal design.

Barrett Technology, founded in 1990 as a spinoff from the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (now CSAIL) at MIT, values its deep-rooted partnerships with Olin and the MIT-UPOP program. Bill Townsend, the company’s founder and CEO, states, “These students haven’t been taught what they cannot do, so they are exactly the people we want at the leading edge of our innovations.”

About the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The mission of the MIT is to advance knowledge and educate students in science and technology that will best serve the world in the twenty-first century. The Institute is committed to generating, disseminating, and preserving knowledge, and to working with others to bring this knowledge to bear on the world’s great challenges. www.mit.edu

About Olin College
Olin College prepares exemplary engineering innovators who recognize needs, design solutions, and engage in creative enterprises for the good of the world. The College is dedicated to the discovery and development of best educational approaches and aspires to serve as a model for others. www.olin.edu

About Barrett Technology, Inc.
Barrett Technology, Inc. is the technology leader in the design and manufacture
of high-performance robotic manipulators for emerging applications requiring superior versatility. For more information, contact Rosanne Kramer: rk@barrett.com