[nagdu] Fw: New From Japan: Robotic Guide Dog.

[Ed Meskys]

Subject: New From Japan: Robotic Guide Dog.


BITS.
New From Japan: Robotic Guide Dog.
NY Times Monday, 2011_11_14
By NICK BILTON. Guide dogs for the blind
could soon be out of a job.
NSK, a Japanese company, is hard at work on a robotic dog that can roll 
across
floors,
climb stairs and assist those with limited or no sight. The robots, which 
can be
seen in the video above, have been in the works for several years. The 
latest
version
is the third.
The newest robot can move up to 10 times faster than the company's previous
ones.
Its legs have been improved to help it avoid collisions and tripping over
itself.
According to NSK, the machines are technically called 'quadruped walking
robots,'
because they use four legs to move.
Robotics researchers have also given the latest guide dog the gift of sight 
by
adding
a Microsoft Kinect camera to its head. This can help it to navigate stairs 
and
other
obstacles. Kinect cameras are traditionally used for video games on the
Microsoft
Xbox 360 but are also often used in robotics projects.
The company will exhibit the latest version of the robot this week at the 
2011
International
Robot Exhibition in Ariake, Japan.