Researchers at the University of Auckland are building humanoid robots that can use sign language, to help Deaf Māori, or Turi Māori, connect with te ao Māori, the Māori world.
The robots come in three sizes, adult height, primary school size, and early childhood size, and can communicate through sign, text, and spoken language.
The project is led by robotics researcher Dr Ho Seok Ahn and language researcher Dr Tauwehe Tamati.
Dr Tamati explained why the project matters to her. “It was always about: what does a language do to support your identity if you can’t hear it?” she said.
The team wants to help Deaf Māori engage with waiata (songs), haka, and pūrākau (traditional stories), which can be hard to access without sign language support.
The idea began around five years ago as a small research project. In 2024, the team won a $1 million Smart Ideas grant from the Government’s Endeavour Fund to help build and scale up the technology over three years.
By September 2026, the robots were fully built and working in the university’s research lab.
The team hopes the robots could one day help more Deaf Māori feel connected to their culture and language.
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