Kenya’s ZeroBionic built a robotic arm that signs the teacher’s lesson 🤖🇰🇪

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In Nairobi, two young entrepreneurs are developing a robotics solution to make classrooms more accessible to deaf students. Named Africa One, the humanoid robot built by Norah Kimathi and Darell Adero is reportedly able to translate speech into sign language and the other way around. The goal is to help deaf students follow lessons, including in science subjects where some terms have yet to be translated into African sign languages.

Two-way translation, in real time 🤖

Africa One reportedly works in both directions. The robot first picks up the teacher’s voice and analyzes what is said, then renders it in sign language through a robotic arm. It could also convert signs made by a person into speech. The system is said to go beyond an articulated arm: it would also have a face able to express emotions, to help it interact with students. In a remote class, the technology could pass a teacher’s explanations to a deaf student in Nairobi without a human interpreter. AFP does not mention these features, and we couldn’t verify them.

Science subjects are also part of the intended uses. In math, for example, the robot would interpret the teacher’s explanations and render them in the appropriate sign language.

Robotics, AI and local manufacturing ♻️

Behind Africa One is ZeroBionic, a company founded in 2023 by Norah Kimathi and Darell Adero that specializes in robotics and artificial intelligence. Its lab in Nairobi runs on 3D printers, which let the team produce some components from recycled materials.

The company says it builds its own hardware, combining artificial intelligence, gesture recognition and computer-aided manufacturing. It is also putting together a database of African sign languages to improve how locally used signs are recognized and reproduced.

78 Kenyan schools already equipped 📊

In Kenya, roughly 300,000 children live with hearing loss, according to the Kenya Association for Deaf Children. Only 20,000 were in school in 2024. In the WHO African Region (47 countries), nearly 40 million people are affected by hearing loss, a figure that could reach 54 million by 2030. According to AFP, 78 Kenyan schools have already equipped themselves with ZeroBionic’s robotic arms. The company claims a translation accuracy of 92%.

A young computer scientist behind the project 🎓

Norah Kimathi, 22, reportedly graduated from Strathmore University, a private university in Nairobi, where she is said to have earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science in July 2026. Her education career reportedly began in 2020 as a team lead at Global Give Back Circle. In 2025, she also reportedly worked as an Internet of Things (IoT) engineer during an internship at @iLabAfrica, Strathmore’s research and innovation center of excellence.

What other uses of robotics and artificial intelligence could make education more accessible for deaf students? Tell us in the comments.