[Edaily Reporter Kim Seung-kwon ] Dot, a social venture that commercialized the world’s first tactile display, is breaking free from the label of “manufacturer of assistive devices for the visually impaired.” The company is expanding its tactile technology—which began as an educational tool—into the field of “rehabilitation” for patients with acquired blindness. Collaborations with the “Big Three” tech companies—Google, Apple, and Microsoft (MS)—have served as a springboard for this expansion.

Kim Ju-yun, CEO of Dot, stated, “We are a company that helps people with disabilities around the world,” adding, “Based on over 170 patents, we commercialized the world’s first tactile display, and recently, we have been expanding into the field of robotic actuators.” Palm Daily analyzed Dot’s expansion plans, which are projected to significantly boost future revenue.

What Gemini Draws, You See with Your Fingertips… “Now It’s a Rehabilitation Device”

The most notable development is the collaboration with Google. Last October, Dot signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for strategic cooperation with Google Asia-Pacific. The agreement focuses on building an inclusive digital education ecosystem centered on the Asia-Pacific (APEC) and Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa (EMEA) regions. The structure involves integrating the Dot Pad with Google’s education platform, “Google for Education,” and supplying it as a bundle with Chromebooks.

CEO Kim stated, “Google is distributing its platform and laptops to a wide variety of schools, and by including visually impaired students and special education schools in this effort, the initiative is expanding its scale globally.”

The key lies in the integration with the generative AI “Gemini.” As the collaboration between the two companies has advanced, users will soon be able to ask Gemini, “Draw a cosine graph for me,” and the AI will generate the graph, which the Dot device will instantly convert into tactile feedback. CEO Kim explained, “In the past, converting information itself was a major challenge for people with visual impairments,” adding, “Our collaboration with Google represents a tremendous change.”

Until now, the only devices available to the visually impaired were Braille displays that read text one line at a time. CEO Kim remarked, “Take chemistry education, for example—how many words would it take to explain a single chemical structure?” He continued, “Ultimately, they need to experience it directly through touch, but that was difficult.”

Integration with Apple has been achieved at the operating system (OS) level. The service connects directly through the settings on iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Dot is also working with Microsoft to improve accessibility in Excel and PowerPoint.

Dot’s rationale for targeting the rehabilitation market is the figure “80 percent.” CEO Kim explained, “People who completely lose their vision due to an accident or illness account for 80 percent of cases,” adding, “I thought this could happen to me, or to a friend or family member.”

When vision is lost, training to reawaken the sense of touch is necessary. CEO Kim emphasized, “We need to awaken that sense and engage in activities to become familiar with tactile graphics, but until now, there have been neither proper training methods nor devices available.”

In addition, Dot is conducting research with the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA)—which represents 130,000 visually impaired U.S. veterans—to jointly develop rehabilitation curricula and treatment methods. CEO Kim explained, “For those who lose their sight in old age, rehabilitation is closely linked to psychological therapy as well.”

◇Shooting for

30 billion won in revenue this year…High-margin software and surgical robots are the next moves

Financial performance is also on the rise. CEO Kim stated, “We generated approximately 15 billion won last year, and we’re aiming for 25 to 30 billion won this year.” This marks a rapid increase from the 1.4 billion won in revenue recorded in 2021.

Revenue is concentrated in haptic devices and barrier-free kiosks. For devices, the business is split 40% to 60% between selling proprietary devices and supplying technology to overseas clients’ devices. The infrastructure business accounts for 10–20% of the total. Dot developed South Korea’s first barrier-free kiosks and has supplied them to the Busan Subway, SRT stations, and the National Museum of Korea; recently, it partnered with LG Electronics to expand into North America.

The key to profitability lies in software. CEO Kim stated, “The highest-margin revenue comes from software and content conversion, which began this year,” adding, “We are also expecting a major contract with a U.S. institution in the second half of the year, which should have a positive impact on operating profit.” The business model involves selling AI conversion software—which instantly converts images and graphics into tactile data—alongside the devices via a subscription service.

Robotics is the new growth driver. This business involves applying ultra-compact actuators to tactile sensing in robotic hands and teleoperation of surgical robots. CEO Kim said, “Since most surgical robots use a joystick control system, we often hear in the U.S. that it’s difficult to train junior surgeons and to get a feel for how precisely to apply force.” The goal is to begin a proof of concept (PoC) this year and generate revenue starting next year. The company is currently conducting research with the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, the University of Oxford, and Stanford University, among others.

The long-term goal is to secure coverage under national health insurance. CEO Kim emphasized, “While there are many companies in the hearing aid market worth 10 trillion or 20 trillion won, there are no such companies serving the visually impaired,” adding, “Opening up a new category to make these devices widely available and accessible—so that users can truly benefit from them—is a crucial milestone.”