A Robot That Speaks Sign Language

A young engineer has invented a robotic arm that translates spoken words into sign language.

Norah Kimathi holds a robotic arm she invented. The arm can use sign language to communicate with students who are deaf.

In Kenya, students who are deaf or have difficulty hearing have a new tool to help them learn. It’s a robotic arm that translates spoken words into sign language.

The arm was invented by 22-year-old engineer Norah Kimathi. Engineers invent things to solve problems, and Kimathi realized that many teachers do not speak sign languages. A sign language is a system of hand movements used to communicate with people who are deaf. The robotic arms built by Kamathi’s company, ZeroBionic, have hands that communicate sign language to match what is being said in the room.

Norah Kimathi holds a robotic arm as she talks to students at the Kasarani Treeside Secondary School for the Deaf.

ZeroBionic worked with sign language users to “teach” the robots to use signs. In Kenya, the robots know the signs common among users of sign language in Kenya, but there are many different sign languages, and the robots can learn any of them. This would allow the robots to be used in classrooms around the world.

Kimathi says it’s important for all students to have the tools they need to succeed.

“When you get access to education, you don’t realize it’s what gives you employment, opens doors, and puts you on big stages,” she told TechCabal. “Those are the doors we want to open.”

Fun Fact

Marc Miskin, University of Pennsylvania and Maya Lassiter, University of Pennsylvania; Photo composite Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

The tiniest robot ever built is smaller than a grain of salt! The photo on the left shows a robot on a fingertip. The photo on the right shows several tiny robots arranged together.

From Racing to Space

John McFall (left) competes against Japan’s Atsushi Yamamoto at the 2008 Paralympic Games.

John McFall could become the first person with a disability to travel into space.

McFall is a British surgeon who lost his right leg in a motorcycle accident when he was 19. He wears an artificial leg called a prosthetic. In 2005 he became a track and field athlete, competing in the Paralympic Games three years later.

In 2022, the European Space Agency (ESA) chose McFall to be part of its Fly! project, which aims to make space travel available to people with disabilities. In 2026, the British government signed an agreement with U.S. space company Vast to find sponsors to pay for McFall’s journey into space. (A sponsor is a company that pays for something in exchange for advertising its products and services.)

If all goes as planned, McFall will travel to Vast’s Haven-1 space station, which is scheduled to be launched into space in 2027. There, he would research how well prosthetics work in microgravity and how people move in space. His discoveries could help people with disabilities on Earth.

Assistance Dogs

Assistance dogs are specially trained to help people with disabilities, including people who are blind or deaf. You can learn more about assistance dogs and their skills at Britannica.

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“In the News: A Robot That Speaks Sign Language.” Britannica School, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 30 Sept. 2026. https://news.eb.com/level1/a-robot-that-speaks-sign-language. Accessed 01 Oct. 2026 [Replace this date with today’s date.]