A six-legged Chinese robot could replace man's best friend as a guide dog, say researchers working on a model to help visually impaired people live more independent lives.
A research development team at Shanghai's Jiao Tong University have created a robot prototype that navigates the physical environment using cameras and sensors placed around its body.
The robot "guide dog" communicates by listening and speaking to its operator using voice recognition powered by artificial intelligence.
It can plan routes and identify traffic light signals — something that traditional guide dogs aren't able to do.
Roughly the size of an English bulldog, the robot has six legs, which researchers say helps it walk smoothly and remain stable.
"When three legs are lifted, there are still three legs ... like the tripod of a camera. It is the most stable shape," said Professor Gao Feng, the head of the research team at the university's mechanical engineering department.
Helping people move independently
Married couple Li Fei, 41, and Zhu Sibin, 42, are among the visually impaired people helping the research team test the robot using Chinese-language commands.
Li is completely blind and Zhu sees only a little, normally using a cane to assist him in getting around.
"If this robot guide dog comes onto the market and I could use it, at least it could solve some of my problems in travelling alone," Li said.
"For example, if I want to go to work, the hospital or the supermarket (now) I cannot go out alone and must be accompanied by my family or volunteers."
Robot guide dogs are under development in other countries, including Australia and Britain, but China has a drastic shortage of traditional guide dogs.
Mass production could be 'a bit like cars'
In China, there are just over 400 guide dogs for almost 20 million blind people, Professor Gao said.
Pet ownership and service animals are also relatively new concepts in the country, meaning many workplaces, restaurants and other public areas wouldn't welcome a more traditional helper like a Labrador.
Traditional guide dogs take years to breed and train, but Professor Gao said the production of robot guide dogs could be scaled, especially in a major manufacturing hub like China.
"It's a bit like cars. I can mass-produce them in the same way as cars, so it will become more affordable," Gao said.
"I think this could be a very large market, because there might be tens of millions of people in the world who need guide dogs."
Reuters