Tatum Robotics

We had great time this weekend at the Cape Cod Deaf Expo in Hyannis, MA! We had a table to showcase our work, and it was wonderful to connect with the community. Not only did we meet new DeafBlind folks and advocates, we even ran into some familiar faces from the Deaf Blind Contact Center (DBCC), which made the event even more special! A huge thanks to Tatum's friends Alan Gifford for setting us up with this opportunity and Bruce & Martha Johnson for hosting us! [A white table in a large room with tan walks and carpets. On the table is the Tatum T1, a dark haired woman with a red ASL fingerspelling shirt and white shorts holds on to the hand and smiles]

I visited Tatum Robotics at MassRobotics in Boston. They created an amazing accessibility product for DeafBlind! Take a look to see what they made! The future is bright for the DeafBlind community. Transcript: [Video starts with Travis in the car wearing a red shirt. Travis is signing, close captions at the bottom of the frame] Travis: Hi, my name is Travis. Today I am going to Boston. What am I doing here? I am visiting a place with a new technology for DeafBlind. (Transition showing Tatum Robotics and MassRobotics stickers) Travis: Less than 5% of DeafBlind population know how to read braille. Pretty small! What about the other 95% that do not know how to read? So, I know the majority of DeafBlind community communicate with sign language. (Transition showing Tatum Robotics and MassRobotics stickers) DeafBlind folks love tactile sign language. Robot hands! (Transition showing Tatum Robotics office with robot on a shelf, Tatum Robotics logo on a t-shirt, then Tatum T1 robot signing next to Jaimi, a DeafBlind woman) Travis: Curious, right? Robot hands that use tactile sign language! I want to check it out! That’s why I am going to see it in person! (Transition showing Tatum Robotics logo on a t-shirt, then Tatum Robotics and MassRobotics stickers, then Tatum Robotics logo on a t-shirt, then many frames of four fingers on a row with one bending) [Video showing the Tatum T1 robot with a white glove signing next to John, a DeafBlind man, then the Tatum T1 robot with a black glove signing next to Jaimi.] [Video showing the Tatum T1 robot with a white glove fingerspelling DAILY MOTH, DEAF NINJA, MISS SOUTH AFRICA] (Transition showing Tatum Robotics logo on a t-shirt) [Video showing Jaimi and the Tatum T1 robot with a black glove fingerspelling WEATHER, MONDAY AUGUST 19, THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE] (Transition showing many frames of John with Tatum T1 robot with white glove) [Video showing John and the Tatum T1 robot with a white glove fingerspelling PROGRESS?] (Final frame is Tatum Robotics logo on a t-shirt)

Next week, Tatum Robotics will be moving our primary R&D site out of MassRobotics. Of course we will be staying residents, but this is a bittersweet change for our growing team. This time almost exactly 3 years ago I decided to start a robotics company with almost no knowledge of the robotics industry. I Googled "robotics space Boston" and of course, I found MassRobotics!  Almost immediately, we found an incredible home within the MassRobotics family. We have celebrated successes over and over, on top of birthdays, and happy hours, and holiday parties. TLDR: We have had a lot of cakes!! I want to thank so many people for so many things, but first, thank you to Professor Taskin Padir and the Northeastern University IER for your support and welcome to the MassRobotics site. Tom, thank you for your patience with our ever noisy bunch. Russell and Kevin, thank you for the entertainment everyday whether morning or night. Sayo, thank you for your friendship. And a biggest thank you to Joyce and Colleen. I cannot imagine where I would be without your encouragement, support, and advice. You have seen me at my highest and lowest, taught me the ways of the robotics world, and championed me every step of the way. [Collage of photos with red borders. Top left Samantha, Julia, Dhruv, Tejaswini, and Jonathan in red festive clothes in front of the MassRobotics sign. Next, Linda wearing a Tatum shirt holding up the I-Love-You sign with both hands. Below that, Colleen, Samantha, and Russell wearing purple formal clothes and holding drink classes. Next a small photo of Samantha and Russell with a bottle of wine. Below that, a small selfie of Sayo and Samantha. Next to that, a photo of Colleen, Samantha, and Joyce standing next to a table with the Tatum T1 in front of a MassRobotics and Tatum Robotics banner. [Collage of photos with red borders. Top left is a photo of Joyce, Samantha, Colleen, and Russell wearing business attire smiling. Next is a photo of Patty, Micaelah, Joyce, Samantha, Sayo and Colleen in front of the MassRobotics logo. Below that, Roman, Dhruv, and Kevin smiling with their hands under their chins wearing Christmas attire. Next, Jaimi and John dancing with the Pepper robot in front of the MassRobotics logo. Next, Joyce, Samantha, and Colleen in front of a Northeastern banner where Samantha holds an award. Below that, a group photo from Tatum Robotics validation with many people wearing black Tatum shirts and smiling. Bottom right corner, Julia and Rajas wearing safety goggles and orange gloves smiling holding a metal part in front of a CNC machine. ]

A huge congratulations to Wentworth Institute of Technology's capstone team! Over the past 8 months, the team worked on developing a method for tracking Tatum's movements in space remotely. As an interdisciplinary team, students from backgrounds in ME, ECE, EE, and BME came together to produce a custom PCB that will be further tested by the Tatum Team! A big thank you to the team's advisors Professor Afsaneh Ghanavati and Professor Marisha Rawlins! [Five students smiling standing behind a black table in a gym. On the table is a Tatum robotic flyer, a robotic hand on a clear box, a finger with many wires coming out the size, and a white light box with a camera instead. On the left is Paul wearing a black shirt, then Adrianna in a tan shirt, then Matthew waring a blue shirt, then Anthony wearing a black shirt and glasses, and then Derek wearing a black shirt and glasses [The table from the first photo zoomed in. On the left is a Tatum T1 on top of a clear acrylic box filled with a motor and bread boards. Next is two PCBs. Last is a test stand with a finger with a lot of cables on the side. In the middle, the two PCBs there is a blue arrow pointing upward to a zoomed in version of the two boards.]

A great first week of ASL lessons with Marshall Hurst! Previously, Marshall went to RIT for his MBA, and is now getting a second Master's Degree at BU in Deaf Education. Marshall is helping our team of engineers become skilled signers with twice a week lessons. We are excited to show off our new confidence and vocab (maybe with a little Canadian accent too!). A huge thank you to Tatum's long-time friend Fatima for connecting us with Marshall! [Screenshot of a multi-view Zoom screen. There is a large image of Marshall on the top, wearing glasses and a blue shirt. His right hand is making the M handshape and his left hand is pointing. He is in front of a bright white background. Below are 7 smaller screens. Samantha is the top left, then Rabecca Verreault, Maggie Saalman, and Jonathan Markowitz. Below that row is Rohit Tondare, Kate Wheatley and Julia Zelevinsky. All the faces are smiling toward the camera.]

On this day in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law, a monumental step in affirming the dignity and potential of every individual, regardless of ability. The ADA has broken down barriers, creating opportunities in employment, transportation, education, and essential services. It has transformed our communities into more inclusive and accessible spaces where everyone can thrive. Today, we honor the progress made and continue to advocate for a future where diversity is celebrated, and everyone has the chance to reach their full potential. Happy ADA Day! #ADA2024 #Inclusion #Accessibility #Diversity #Empowerment [A light green and black background with pink floral design. A pink banner with white text reads 'National Disability Impendence Day' and below green text reads 'ADA DAY 2024.' Below is a picture of 5 people: starting on the left is a person in yellow shirt and jeans using a wheelchair; next a person with an orange smock using a white cane and dark glasses; next a person with a red hair and green sweatshirt holding a book with a prosthetic leg; next a tall person with a white shirt and backpack with a prosthetic arm; last a person with a pink striped shirt with a leg limb difference using crutches]

On July 26, 1990, a beacon of hope ignited for millions as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law. This landmark legislation declared to the world that the United States values the inherent dignity and potential of every individual, regardless of #disability. The #ADA shattered barriers that had long marginalized people with disabilities. It opened doors to employment, transportation, education, and essential services, ensuring that everyone has the right to participate fully in all aspects of life. It transformed our communities into more welcoming and inclusive spaces, where people of all abilities can thrive. Thanks to the ADA, the dreams of countless individuals have taken flight. The ADA has empowered people with disabilities to live independently, pursue fulfilling #careers, and contribute their unique #talents to society. It has fostered a more vibrant and interconnected world, where #diversity is celebrated and everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Happy Monday from Tatum Robotics - featuring many new faces!! Rohit, a recent graduate who received his MS in Robotics, has started full-time as an Embedded System Engineer after volunteering with Tatum for the last 7 months. He has a passion for electronics and loves in troubleshooting devices in his spare time! Rabecca is with us for the summer as an Engineering Intern. She is pursuing physics as a rising freshman at Boston College and is excited to learn about the development of assistive technology. Kate is also with us for the summer as an Engineering Intern. She is an upcoming senior at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School with a life-long enthusiasm for tinkering and the engineering design process. [Three people look a dissembled robot hand in the Tatum Robotics office. There are green PCBs on the table and a keyboard. Rohit is on the left wearing a dark blue shirt pointing toward the robot. Rabecca wears a light blue shirt with braided hair. And Kate is on the right with a grey shirt and curly brown hair. Kate and Rabecca hold on to the fingers of the robot]

Yesterday, Nicole and Samantha went down to Connecticut for the annual DeafBlind Retreat of New England hosted by DBSAN! This event was attended by DeafBlind folks from Florida, Vancouver, New York and more. It was wonderful showcasing the Tatum T1 to some old friend from the Communication Advocacy Network and some first time testers! Thank you DBSAN for having us! STOMP STOMP! [Dozens of people in a room. One DeafBlind man presents in a yellow reflective vest while two other DeafBlind people hold his hands. Others in the room are copy signing for other DeafBlind people. 3 women stand by the Tatum Robotics table that is covered with flyers and business merch. One woman with white hair and a green shirt holds the Tatum T1 and copies the letter 'R'. Samantha and another woman with glasses and a black shirt watch nearby.]

Last week, the team went out to Chicago for the bi-annual National Association of the Deaf Conference! There, Samantha and Jaimi gave a presentation on how they designed a control system that is accessible for the DeafBlind community. Not only that, but we also held a meet-up to give DeafBlind attendees and opportunity to use the Tatum fingerspelling hand. A huge thank you as well to Bryen with MyMMX for allowing us to share his booth at the NAD Exhibit Hall where we were able to meet even more DeafBlind folks and get some hands-on feedback! [A photo of Jaimi and Samantha sitting in front of a black background with a large screen reading 'Designing a DeafBlind-Friendly User Interface for Robotics" along with the presenters names. The Tatum T1 is on the table next to Jaimi and Samantha and a laptop is on a table nearby. In the top right corner is a clip of Jaimi and Samantha presenting. Jaimi and Samantha are sitting side-by-side with an interpreter behind them. Samantha and the interpreter are signing while Jaimi holds Samantha's right hand - see transcript below: "Priorities. First, it needs to be customizable. Why? Just as Jaimi described before, all DeafBlind people have different needs, different ages, different educations, different disabilities. While some need something simple, some prefer complex."]