Meet BARB, The Robot That's A Glimpse of Future Jet Engine Assembly
Pratt & Whitney has introduced a new robotic laborer called BARB (Bearing Automation Robotic Builder) at its jet engine assembly plant in Middleton, Connecticut. The robot, part of a $20 million automation investment, assembles #2, #5, and #6 bearings on the commercial 1100G geared turbofan engine. BARB arrived in late 2024 but only came online in spring 2025 after extensive testing, including overcoming issues with its vision system when transitioning from scrap to shiny new parts. The robot integrates with the company's meticulous record-keeping process, with mechanics signing off on work completed by the machine. Pratt & Whitney reports an 80% reduction in 'touch time' from the automation, though the company emphasizes that ensuring error-free operation in the demanding jet engine assembly environment was a critical prerequisite. The robot represents a modest first step toward broader automation in both civilian and military engine production.
Editorial responsibility
- No named human review is recorded for this page.
- Reports are grouped by semantic similarity and deterministic rules. Language models may assist titles, summaries, translation and cross-source analysis; the page itself is projected from evidence records.
- Current automated evidence projection