Robot guide dog could help people who are blind navigate

By Matthew Sparkes

Guide dogs offer social, physical and mental benefits for some people who are blind, but training them is a costly and lengthy process, so researchers have created a robotic alternative.

Zhongyu Li at the University of California, Berkeley, and his colleagues programmed a four-legged, dog-like robot to safely guide people with a lead, even when faced with obstacles and narrow passages.

The researchers equipped an existing robot with a laser-ranging system to create an accurate map of its surroundings. They also added a rotating camera that remains pointed at …