<p>LOWELL, Mass. It looks, at times, like a miniature skateboard park or a plywood city. But actually it's the new robotics testing facility at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.</p><p>The New England Robotics Validation and Experimentation Center (NERVE) opens on the UMass Lowell campus Tuesday. Instead of heading to Maryland or Texas, companies will have local state-of-the-art testing that's up to national standards on their robot designs.</p><p>At the new facility, workers will be able to subject robots to rain, pools of water on the ground, vibration and uneven or even sandy surfaces.</p><p>"Right now, these companies are having to travel to either Maryland or Texas to use similar courses. And we believe that having these courses closer to companies will basically make robot designs faster and better," said Holly Yanco, a computer science professor at UMass Lowell and director of the NERVE Center.</p><p><a href="http://www.wbur.org/2013/02/12/umass-lowell-robotics-testing">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://www.lowellsun.com/breakingnews/ci_22573830/umass-lowell-unveils-new-robotics-facility">UMass Lowell unveils new robotics facility</a> (The Sun)</p><p><a href="http://www.nanowerk.com/news2/robotics/newsid=28972.php">Most advanced robotics test center in US opens</a> (Nanowerk LLC)</p><p><a href="http://www.uml.edu/News/press-releases/2013/NERVEadvisory.aspx">Premier Robotics Test Center in US to Open at UMass Lowell</a> (UMass Lowell (press release))</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=dGOKsyir66wx1XM0OKYGWNSFqs9gM&ned=us">10 additional articles.</a></p>