The New England Robotics Validation and Experimentation (NERVE) Center will hold its grand opening on February 12th, 2013. The opening will also see the release of the MassTLC, "The Massachusetts Robotics Revolution: Inspiring Innovation, Driving Growth and Competitiveness in Leading Industries" report release. After the opening remarks and ribbon cutting, robotics companies including iRobot, Applied Research Associates, and Adept MobileRobots will demo their systems throughout the testing apparatuses.

The NERVE Center is a dedicated testing facility that will improve the development of robotic systems by both academic researchers and corporations. The facility—directed by Professor Holly Yanco—will be used for the research, development and evaluation of robot systems in a number of areas, including human-robot interaction, autonomous systems, and mobile manipulation. NERVE is the first comprehensive site for testing robots in New England. It houses replicas of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Standard Test Methods for Robots as well as portions of the Army’s Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle (SUGV) test course from the Aberdeen Proving Grounds (APG).

If you wish to attend the grand opening, please RSVP on the Eventbrite page here: http://umassnerve.eventbrite.com/