Inside Samantha Johnson's quest to build robots for deafblind people
Samantha Johnson, founder and CEO of Boston-based startup Tatum Robotics, explains the design of an anthropomorphic robotic hand that replicates tactile sign language for people with deafblindness. She details the mechanical challenges of creating a safe, compliant 18-degree-of-freedom hand using flexible materials and the software challenges of translating English to ASL without sufficient training data. Johnson discusses the company's early-stage validation process, including motion capture with native signers and pilot studies, and highlights the critical need for robust remote diagnostics since users cannot troubleshoot the device themselves.