Robotics is often judged by how quickly, powerfully, or autonomously a machine can move.

Samantha Johnson built a robot to solve a much more human problem: helping DeafBlind people access information and communicate with the people they love.

In this episode of Automated, Brian Heater speaks with Samantha Johnson, co-founder and CEO of Tatum Robotics, about how a chance meeting with a DeafBlind woman named Elaine inspired a tactile signing robot that is now being used in the real world.

When Samantha asked Elaine how they could stay in touch, Elaine explained that they could not call each other. Samantha immediately began wondering whether a robot could create a new form of communication. Months later, the pandemic made the need even more urgent as social distancing disrupted the in-person contact and interpreting services on which many DeafBlind people relied.

Samantha explains how she went from studying bioengineering and looking up basic servo instructions online to building robotic hand prototypes in her apartment. She also shares how almost every assumption she made during the first user test turned out to be wrong. A silicone covering intended to make the hand feel human instead felt like a monster, and users refused to touch it until the material was removed.

That experience shaped the way Tatum Robotics develops its technology. DeafBlind consultants, users, and advisors have been involved throughout the process, guiding decisions about the hand’s size, movement, speed, grammar, personalization, and physical design.

Brian and Samantha also discuss the pressure she faced from investors who wanted her to set the DeafBlind application aside and instead build a general-purpose robotic gripper. Samantha explains why she refused to compromise the company’s mission and how grants, startup programs, MassRobotics, and the Perkins School for the Blind helped the team continue developing the product.

The conversation explores the communication barriers that many people rarely consider. One DeafBlind user explained that after taking a nap, he could not tell whether he had been asleep for two hours or two days. Others had lost contact with friends for more than a decade or could no longer call their own family members.

Samantha shares how the robot is now helping users check the time, read news and weather updates, manage notifications, schedule appointments, and make phone calls. One woman used the system to call her daughter for the first time, repeatedly telling her, “It’s your mom. It’s your mom on the phone.”

They also dig into the technical challenges of building a low-cost, compliant, tendon-driven hand capable of the dexterity required for tactile finger spelling. Samantha explains how the company customizes the robot for individual users and why one tester briefly forgot she was touching a machine rather than a human hand.

Finally, Samantha discusses Tatum Robotics’ next phase, including a full robotic arm capable of more complex signing and potential applications in healthcare, museums, patient portals, and other public environments.

Connect with Samantha Johnson

https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-johnson-7001b413a

Learn more about Tatum Robotics

https://tatumrobotics.com/

We’d love to hear from you.

Have thoughts or guest suggestions?

Reach us at podcast@automate.org.

You can find the transcript and more episodes of Automated at automated.fm.

Unlock full access to Automated and explore everything automation.
Subscribe today and leave a review on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

Also subscribe to the Automated Newsletter.
https://www.youtube.com/@automatedpodcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/automated-with-brian-heater/id1837762221
https://open.spotify.com/show/60olq6brlBEIJWggx2fMR6
https://www.automate.org/automation/automated-newsletter

LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/automated-podcast-by-a3/

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/automatedpod/

Samantha Johnson on the Robot Giving DeafBlind People a New Way to Connect

Automated with Brian Heater

Samantha Johnson on the Robot Giving DeafBlind People a New Way to Connect