About
At MERL, we design inclusive, open-source robotics platforms that make engineering education hands-on, affordable, and accessible to everyone.
Led by Dr. Carlotta A. Berry , our lab creates innovative platforms like Lily∞Bot and Ivy∞Bot that empower learners from K–16 and beyond to explore mobile robotics, coding, and human-robot interaction.
Our mission is that representation matters and robotics should be for the streets — not just the elite. By sharing our designs freely on GitHub , we invite educators, students, and makers to adapt, remix, and expand our projects to change the face of STEM.
Contact: merl.rose.hulman@gmail.com
Current Lab Members
2025-2026 Academic Year
Cross-disciplinary engineers advancing open-source robotics
We are a lean, high-energy group that pairs technical depth with outreach so more learners can build and program robots that look like their communities.
Yueqiao WangThey/ThemLab Manager
I am a senior Computer Engineering major with CS and Econ Minor at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and I am also trying to get a certificate in SemiCon. I am passionate about using technology to improve the lives of others. I am currently working on a project to help people learn to code. I am also working on microKernel OS project that will change the way software interact with hardware.
Manuella KwawuResearcher
Manuella is a Ghanaian senior Mechanical Engineering student at Columbia University with a special interest in Robotics. She aims to contribute to the development of field robots that improve daily life, especially in developing countries. At Columbia’s Robotics Manipulation and Mobility Lab, she has worked on designing and prototyping a force-sensing four-bar linkage transmission for potential impedance and admittance control in robot hands. Outside Robotics research, Manuella enjoys teaching and has been an undergraduate teaching assistant for 2 years for courses like Linear Algebra, Ordinary Differential Equations & Thermodynamics. She also co-leads Columbia University’s Engineers Without Borders chapter, working on a preschool construction project in Ghana. Outside of work, Manuella enjoys the outdoors, exploring museums and different cultures.
Ishita MasettyResearcher
Ishita Masetty is a senior at Penn High School with a deep passion for technology and innovation. Her experiences span from optimizing a GPT-3 model to support mental health interventions on social platforms to developing electrochemical sensors for metabolite detection. She has also interned with NASA and Fermilab, where she explored applications of advanced computing and engineering. Ishita is eager to expand her technical skills in robotics and contribute to shaping a more innovative and sustainable future.
