China’s robotic dog growth

There are exciting developments in robotic guide dog research in China where more than 17 million people are blind or have vision problems.

Transcript

00:00When Stai-Hung Wei, who is blind, took part in the torch relay for the opening of the 2023 Asian Paragames in China,

00:10she was guided by a four-legged robot dog.

00:14The robot worked well on this flat surface, but has limitations.

00:20Most robotic dogs on the market have four legs that are stepping pairs,

00:24leaving them balancing on two legs at any time. This makes them unstable.

00:29Now scientists at Shanghai's Jiao Tong University have developed a six-legged robot dog,

00:35which is more stable than the four-legged version.

00:39Field tests are now underway for these six-legged robots, which can communicate as well as walk.

00:45It uses artificial intelligence technology for voice recognition,

00:50its camera can detect when an obstacle is in the way,

00:53and with six legs, the robot is stable going up and down stairs.

01:00For now, I can tell it where I'm going through voice conversations.

01:03I can control the speed with this blind cane.

01:06If I need it to go faster, I just push it all the way forward.

01:09If I need it to slow down, I just pull it back and it will adjust its speed.

01:13Unlike real guide dogs, this artificial dog also has route planning capabilities.

01:19The machine can navigate using its cameras and sensors, including recognizing traffic lights.

01:25There are only more than 400 guide dogs in service in China.

01:30We have nearly 20 million blind people.

01:33It is impossible to solve this problem with guide dogs.

01:36Robots are a lot like cars, and we can mass produce them in the same way as cars.

01:40It will become more affordable.

01:43There's still a long way to go before such robots become readily available.

01:48And while they might not be as cute as real guide dogs,

01:51the hope is that in the near future, these robot companions

01:55could become a good substitute for the animal called man's best friend.

02:01Michael Voss, CGTN.