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

[Pickrell, Rebecca M (TASC)]

Maybe maybe not. It depends on what you want and how you want it done.
The Japanese are certainly the ones to do this based on their technological abilities and their cultural attitudes about dogs.


-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of frandi.galindo at gmail.com
Sent: Wednesday, November 16, 2011 8:54 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Fw: New From Japan: Robotic Guide Dog.

        I don't know about you all, but I would feel extremely and I mean
extremely weird if I had a machine as a guide.  Especially one that looks
like a dog.  Its just not normal.  Ok, I know we have Global positioning
systems that many of us blind or visually impaired individuals use to help
us get around, but so do the sighted.  A machine can't show you the
emotional support that a real live dog can.  I will stop now before I go in
to a book long rant, but do you see where I am going with this?  Nothing is
as good as the real thing.  The living will always do better than the
machine.  At least with guiding.

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

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.


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