
The Northeastern crew developed a brand new kind of compliant robotic arm that may apply over 1 Nm of torque. | Supply: MassRobotics
MassRobotics introduced the winners of its third Kind & Operate College Robotics Problem on the Robotics Summit & Expo in Boston final week. Fifteen groups from across the globe showcased their initiatives on the present. The Transformative Robotics Lab crew from Northeastern College gained.
The successful robotic, a Comfortable Robotic Arm Screwdriver that spun and safely scrubbed plates, was picked by a panel of judges from the robotics business. The concept of this problem is to create a robotic that appears good (type) and works (perform).
As a primary in Kind & Operate historical past, second prize and viewers alternative have been each awarded to the identical crew, the College of Waterloo’s Gripper for First Responders. This crew had a novel gripper and arm that would assess victims in an emergency state of affairs.
Third prize was awarded to the returning Warmth Robotics College of British Columbia Okanagan Campus Wildfire Containment crew. It gained for its continued improvement and enhancements to its method to combating and stopping wildfires.
The competitors was intense this yr, and the judges mentioned they felt compelled to present an honorable point out to the Kurtz Robotics Boston College Automated Develop Mattress crew for its robotic, which may decide tomatoes in a scalable, cost-effective manner.
All the groups showcased progressive methods that impressed attendees. College students reported that corporations have been already providing jobs and even to work with them on their robots. The expertise of interacting and networking with business professionals was priceless to researchers who typically don’t get their work seen outdoors of their campus or labs.
MassRobotics sponsors, together with Altium, AMD, Analog Units, Autodesk, Copley Controls, Danfoss, FESTO, Harmonic Drive, igus, Lattice Semiconductor, maxon, Mitsubishi Electrical, and Novanta, donated parts and software program to the groups. This allowed the coed groups to make use of the newest choices within the business.
MassRobotics residents, healthcare startups additionally exhibit
On the Robotics Summit & Expo final week, MassRobotics additionally hosted a Startup Alley that showcased 21 of its resident startups, and the MassRobotics Accelerator. Powered by Mass Tech Collaborative, every of the businesses within the Accelerator cohort offered its applied sciences and enterprise fashions.
Startups that participated included Haystack Ag, LiftLabs, Mito Robotics, Nexterity, p!ng, Crimson
The Healthcare Robotics Startup Catalyst program highlighted its newest cohort of startups who made their remaining displays, sharing their milestones and achievements made throughout this yr’s program. Startups included OTSAW, ReviMo, Sixdof House, Subtlebotic, TechNovato
Attendees have been capable of see improvements firsthand on the showroom ground — from a patient-transfer system to surgical instrument dealing with.

The MassRobotics Kind & Operate Problem on the Robotics Summit present ground. | Supply: MassRobotics
Strategic partnership continues at 2025 Robotics Summit
As a strategic companion with WTWH Media for the 2025 Robotics Summit & Expo, MassRobotics performed a key function in offering steering and leveraging its in depth international community to assist the occasion. Over 5,000 attendees participated in periods led by business leaders comparable to PSYONIC, Symbotic, Amazon Robotics, MIT CSAIL, and Boston Dynamics, gaining insights into the way forward for robotics improvement. The exhibit corridor almost doubled in its footprint from final yr, with near 200 exhibitors.
“We set information for attendance and exhibitors on the 2025 Robotics Summit & Expo, attracting members from greater than 45 international locations,” mentioned Steve Crowe, chair of the occasion and govt editor of The Robotic Report.
“This degree of development wouldn’t have been doable with out the assist of our strategic companion, MassRobotics. Its sturdy community of startups and deep business connections carry invaluable vitality, innovation, and experience to the occasion,” he added. “We stay up for rising this occasion in Boston and dealing with MassRobotics for years to come back.”
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