Transformative Robotics Lab
We create new robotic systems with novel manufacturing methods
What does the TRL do?
The Transformative Robotics Lab (TRL) at Northeastern University is part of the Institute for Experimental Robotics (IER). The lab is led by principal investigator, Prof. Jeff Lipton.
Robotics and manufacturing are intricately linked. Each new generation of robotic fabrication tools has transformed manufacturing, enabling greater complexity and customization of the world around us. With the recent developments in additive manufacturing new forms of mechanical metamaterials have become possible, changing how we make our robotic devices.
What are we learning?
The TRL explores how we can use robots to create novel materials and manufacturing methods, and how we can use novel materials and manufacturing methods to enhance the capabilities of robots?
The TRL lab demonstrates mathematical frameworks for making torque responsive materials, and how these materials form the basis for low-cost robotics.
The TRL lab examines how 3D printing can enable us to rapidly repurpose robotic systems to solve pressing manufacturing needs, and finally how mobile robotics can enable us to make new forms of scalable manufacturing solutions.
Other Links for Robotics at Northeastern University
News
| Oct 15, 2026 | Prof. Lipton was again named to the Stanford/Elsevier list of the top 2% most-cited scientists (2026). COE announcement |
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| Sep 3, 2026 | Prof. Lipton is part of an interdisciplinary team awarded a $1.06M NSF FIRE grant to study ember-catching FireScreens for wildfire safety. Read the story |
| Aug 13, 2026 | Brett Emery and Jacob Miske’s venture InLoop, built on the lab’s Viscous Thread Printing, was named a Top 3 team in the Spring 2026 cohort of Blueprint by The Engine. Read the story |
| Jul 31, 2026 | Sawyer Thomas and Jeffrey Lipton published “Bistable Networks Enable Complex Shape Changes” in Advanced Science. Paper |
| Apr 7, 2026 | Ian Good, Srivatsan Balaji, Jacob Miske, and Jeffrey Lipton presented “Torsion Resistant Strain Limiting Layers Enable High Grip Strength of Electrically-Driven Handed Shearing Auxetic Grippers” at IEEE RoboSoft 2026. Paper |
