New Bedford Research & Robotics

05/27/2026

Congratulations to the recent Industrial Robotics Workforce Development cohort on completing the program and graduating! We’re proud to celebrate this milestone alongside our partners at MassHire Greater New Bedford Workforce Board and through the support of the Good Jobs Grant. It was an honor to host this talented group at NBRR, and we’re excited to see where their skills, dedication, and hard work take them next. Wishing each graduate the very best of luck in the journey ahead!

Contact Rodney at [email protected] to learn more about the Marine Robotics Workforce Development Program starting in July!

05/13/2026

Problem-solving on (and off) the water 🌊

This season, our team helped the Community Boating Center tackle a very real issue with their 420 sailboats: failing hull gaskets that were putting stress on both the boats and the high school racing schedule.

Using our advanced manufacturing tools, we designed and 3D printed custom replacement hull gaskets, tested the fit, iterated on the design, and successfully integrated them into the 420 fleet.

The result?
Durable, locally designed parts that are now in active use for the high school racing season - keeping more boats on the line, students on the water, and racing days running smoothly.

This is exactly the kind of practical, community-centered innovation we love: using frontier technology to solve everyday problems and support youth programs right here in New Bedford.

05/11/2026

When the United Way of Greater New Bedford asked us to create a macaroni trophy for their Hunger Heroes winner, we knew it was the perfect build for a pair of our high school interns.

Max and Dhruv, from Global Learning Charter Public School, took the lead on design and fabrication—turning a fun idea into a one-of-a-kind trophy that celebrates a powerful impact: helping United Way provide food for families across our community.

Big shoutout to these emerging innovators for using creativity, craft, and tech to honor a true Hunger Hero.

*Pictured: Max from GLCPS and Victoria from the United Way. Not pictured: Dhruv from GLCPS

05/06/2026

What a fantastic "Innovation Day" welcoming Cardigan Mountain School students to New Bedford Research & Robotics for their student pitch presentations!

We were so impressed by the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit demonstrated by the young inventors in the Gates Invention & Innovation Program. Their projects tackle real-world challenges, including:

"CoolShoes" (Jeronimo Mancebo and Omar Kuri): Specialized footwear for individuals with Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) and diabetes.

PK Hockey Co. (Pearson Stasko and Colton MacDonald): High-quality, eco-friendly hockey wax to combat gear odor.

"ID-entity" (Everett Lo Junwon (Leo) Hwang): A project focused on combating AI-generated deepfakes and misinformation.

BassBox (Cameron Suh and Jack Jangro): A portable, waterproof fishing tackle box featuring an integrated Bluetooth speaker system.

It was an honor to host these students and a panel of experts for their presentations on May 1st.

05/04/2026

Excited to share our work at NBRR among these amazing folks from the IEEE. Please join us!

IEEE vTools Events is used for managing IEEE conferences and meetings. Events are showcased in IEEE Collabratec™ and can be promoted on websites and eNotices.

05/03/2026

Join us for this month’s AHA! New Bedford and explore the NBRR Lab!

The future is bright for this legacy site! From being a shelter for homeless men, to Glaser Glass, to NBRR – these buildings hold a lot of stories!

We’re opening our doors from 4:30-6:30 PM, and you’re invited to step inside, look around, and experience our space in action!

Meet our team, tour the lab, and watch our industrial robots as they create, design, and innovate using a variety of technologies. It’s high-tech and guaranteed to spark your curiosity.

Whether you’re a robotics enthusiast, tech-curious, or simply looking for something fun and different to do, this is a great opportunity to see innovation up close.

Stop by anytime between 4:30 and 6:30 PM we’d love to see you! Just look for the yellow AHA! flag and you’ll know you’re in the right place.

04/28/2026

I had a great time judging the UMass Dartmouth Spring Research Symposium! As a very recently-graduated Master's student who spent significant time in research, I've spent many hours in places like this communicating my research to others, so it was a nice feeling being on the other side for a change.

Science communication is very important to me. Seeing the pride each presenter had in their work and their belief in the potential to bring about major impact in their chosen fields reminded me of my own research journey. Events like this also highlight potential ideas, avenues for collaboration, and talent from which we could benefit, especially regarding the type of research we do and the support we provide to startups at NBRR. I wish all the participants the very best in their research!

04/24/2026

Our friends at Orpheus Ocean were recently featured on CBS News Boston for their groundbreaking work in deep-sea exploration! 🌊🤖

Orpheus Ocean is one of the innovative startups thriving at New Bedford Research & Robotics (NBRR). Their team, led by CEO Jake Russell, is leveraging our 30,000-square-foot facility and industrial-grade infrastructure to develop marine robotics capable of diving 19,000 feet - unlocking the mysteries of the ocean's darkest zones for environmental sensing.

At NBRR, we are proud to serve as a strategic hub, helping ventures like Orpheus Ocean navigate the "hardware valley of death" and move from prototyping to commercial readiness. This collaboration is a cornerstone of our mission to drive economic growth and innovation in the SouthCoast's blue tech ecosystem.

Check out the full story and video below to see how they're discovering what lies on the ocean floor!

🔗 Watch & Read:

Orpheus Ocean of New Bedford, Massachusetts is building robotic vehicles to descend into extreme depths to collect data from the seafloor.

04/23/2026

Join the Industrial Robotics Workforce Development Program this May!
Visit our website and then contact MassHire Greater New Bedford Career Center to register.
https://hubs.ly/Q04dbCp_0

04/21/2026

MARINE ROBOTICS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
July 6 -17, 2026!
Monday- Friday, 9am-3pm
On campus at NBRR: 1265 Purchase St., NB, MA 02740

Why enroll?
- Train on ROVs
- Learn more about robotics, programming, and marine science
- Build teamwork and problem-solving skills
- Engage with scientists & engineers tackling real-world problems

Real-World Applications in: Marine Biology, Oceanography, Offshore Energy, Archaeology, Search & Rescue

Contact Rodney Solomon to register: [email protected]

*MassHire Programs & Services are funded in part by the US Department of Labor (USDOL) Employment and Administration Grants as well as non-federal funded grants. (Additional details furnished upon request).