Bridging the Gap: Robotic Innovation Moves from Lab to Shop Floor in the Berkshires

In a university lab, a graduate student uses a mobile phone to control a robotic arm on the other side of the country. A moment later, a technician in Pittsfield uses that same interface—on the same hardware—to learn skills critical for modern manufacturing. The distance between cutting-edge research and rural workforce development has never felt shorter.

At the Berkshire Innovation Center (BIC), we often talk about building bridges. Between startups and legacy manufacturers. Between students and career opportunities. Between world-class research and real-world application. Lately, one of the most exciting bridges we’ve been part of connects two seemingly unrelated projects: a robotic hand designed for future factories and disaster zones—and a robotic arm helping train the next generation of manufacturing professionals right here in the Berkshires.

Earlier this month, MIT researchers won the Best Paper award in the Manufacturing Division at the American Society for Engineering Education’s 2025 Annual Conference. The paper, titled Application of Phone-Based Robotic Arm Teleoperation in Hands-On Labs for Engineering Education, highlights a deceptively simple innovation: making remote robotics education accessible through smartphones. This is more than a clever interface. It’s a potential breakthrough in how hands-on skills are taught in rural areas like ours—where access to advanced equipment and expertise is often limited.

At the heart of the paper is the work of MIT’s LEAP Group led by Dr. John Liu, which has been collaborating with the BIC through our Manufacturing Academy led by Dr. Dennis Rebelo. Together, we’ve been piloting robotic arm simulations with students employed in technical jobs across Western Massachusetts. These students are learning how to program and operate robotic arms—tools increasingly common in modern manufacturing environments—using the same interface as researchers at one of the most prestigious engineering schools in the world.

This is what the BIC was built to do: take the most advanced thinking in science and technology and make it usable, relevant, and empowering for people and businesses in our region.

That spirit of translation and collaboration also underpins a second major partnership we’ve joined this year—one that could reshape the field of robotics altogether.

The Human AugmentatioN via Dexterity (HAND) Engineering Research Center, led by Northwestern University in partnership with MIT and others, was recently launched with support from the National Science Foundation. Its mission is audacious: develop robotic hands with human-like dexterity, capable of performing tasks that range from delicate caregiving to rugged industrial work. Think robots that can sort recyclables by touch, assist with elder care, or assemble complex devices with minimal programming.

The implications for manufacturing are enormous. In industries that rely on both high precision and adaptability—like aerospace, medical devices, or specialty plastics—current robotics solutions often fall short. The HAND ERC aims to change that. And through our role as a regional implementation partner, the BIC is helping ensure that these breakthroughs don’t stay locked in the lab. We’re working to bring them to factory floors and job training programs in Western Massachusetts.

These two projects—one focused on training the workforce of today, the other on building the technologies of tomorrow—might seem unrelated. But they’re deeply connected by a shared philosophy: that robotics isn’t just about automation. It’s about augmentation. It’s about empowering people with better tools, expanding what’s possible in education, and strengthening the resilience and competitiveness of manufacturers of all sizes.

And they share one more thing: a belief that this kind of innovation doesn’t have to be confined to major metro areas or coastal tech hubs. Through thoughtful partnerships and strong regional infrastructure, places like the Berkshires can play a central role in shaping the future of work and technology. These efforts strengthens both our BIC talent and the professionals in firms that rely on forward momentum..

Massachusetts is uniquely positioned to lead this effort. We have world-renowned institutions as collaborators. We have a state government committed to manufacturing innovation. And we have an advanced manufacturing base that stretches from the Boston suburbs to the hills of Western Mass—home to companies producing mission-critical parts for the defense, biomedical, and renewable energy sectors.

What we need—and what the BIC is actively building—is a system that connects these assets. A place where students can get hands-on experience with the same technologies used in federally funded research centers. A place where small manufacturers can test-drive emerging solutions before making capital investments. A place where rural communities can feel—not just included in—but essential to the state’s innovation economy.

The robotic arm and the robotic hand—one helping train students, the other being developed to support workers—are more than engineering projects. They are symbols of the kind of ecosystem we’re building here. One where expertise flows across boundaries, where innovation is shared, and where regional hubs like the BIC help ensure that breakthroughs at places like MIT and Northwestern lead to meaningful, measurable progress in places like Pittsfield.

This isn’t about tech for tech’s sake. It’s about creating good jobs, expanding access to opportunity, and strengthening the backbone of our economy: the manufacturers, educators, and entrepreneurs who keep our communities moving forward.

At the BIC, we’re proud to play a role in that story—and we’re just getting started.