University engineering team A Chinese company has developed an AI-enabled guide dog robot that not only has sophisticated optics to detect changes in its environment and a back-mounted wand to control its speed, but the device also has audio sensors so it can understand voice commands.
“Based on a deep learning end-to-end speech recognition model, the robot can understand semantic information and respond quickly and accurately to voice commands such as 'start,' 'stop,' and 'set destination,'” statement Graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Meanwhile, the vision system will enable the robot dog to “autonomously navigate to destinations, dynamically avoid obstacles and recognize traffic lights.”
Professor Feng Gao and team designed a six-legged guide robot to ensure smooth movement and maximum stability for the guide robot and its user. This was the first time the team integrated three interaction modes: auditory, tactile and force feedback.
“The robot provides real-time feedback on gait and environmental conditions, enabling two-way intelligent interaction,” the school explains. “By applying force and torque through the guide cane, the robot propels the user forward and assists in turning, while the user can dynamically adjust walking speed by pushing or pulling the cane.”
Image: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
The school says the guide robot has a top speed of about nine feet per second and can connect to Wi-Fi networks so it can provide additional services or contact emergency personnel in an emergency.
The robot was developed in collaboration with Souchen Robotics, which Production has not yet begun Guidebot's and nNo timeline for when it will be released has been announced, but the university says that through mass production and AI-assisted development, the robot can effectively reduce costs and address the shortage of guide dogs.
The cost of a robot dog is difficult to estimate precisely because it has many specialized parts. However, the basic model of a robot dog available commercially in the United States is: The Unitree Go2 Pro costs $4,200.— Also developed in China —that's all $70,000 for Boston Dynamics SpotHowever, neither is designed to assist the visually impaired.
According to the Guide Dog Association, the actual cost of training and caring for a real guide dog is Approximately $50,000 per year.
Even if a fully equipped guide robot were to sell for $100,000 at launch, that would represent a significant savings over the life of the asset compared to an actual guide dog. Average life span: 6 to 10 yearsThe total cost for the animals could range from $300,000 to $500,000.
The university did not respond to a request for comment. Decryption.
Ironically, the country that developed this novel guided robot technology is the same one that decided last month to mount a machine gun on the back of a robot dog. Video released by Chinese government-funded news agency CCTV showed the armed robot dog demonstrating its lethal power during a military drill between China and Cambodia.
Editor: Ryan Ozawa.
