VOA科学技术2024--Chinese Researchers Develop Robot Dogs to Assist the Blind

Researchers in Shanghai are developing a robot "guide dog" that could help blind people.

The robot is currently being tested in Shanghai. The machine uses cameras and sensors¹ to navigate² its environment. It is able to recognize traffic light signals which traditional guide dogs are unable to recognize.

The robot can communicate. It is able to listen and speak with a blind operator. The robot also uses artificial intelligence (AI) to recognize voices, plan ways to go from place to place and identify traffic lights.

The robot dog is described as being about the size of an English bulldog but a little wider than a real dog. It has six legs instead of four because the researchers say the extra legs make it more stable, making its movements smoother.

Professor Gao Feng is the head of the research team that is developing the dog at Jiao Tong University's School of Mechanical Engineering. "When three legs are lifted, there are still three legs...It is the most stable shape," he said.

Forty-one-year-old Li Fei and 42-year-old Zhu Sibin are among the people with vision problems who are helping³ the Jiao Tong University team. They are testing the dog using Chinese-language commands.

Li is completely blind while Zhu has limited eyesight. He normally uses a cane⁴ to walk.

Li said, "If this robot guide dog comes onto the market and I could use it, at least it could solve some of my problems in travelling alone."

Robot guide dogs are also under development in Australia and Britain. But China has a big shortage of traditional guide dogs. Gao said there are just over 400 guide dogs in China for nearly 20 million blind people.

Pet ownership and service animals are a fairly new idea in the country. Many workplaces, restaurants and public areas do not welcome a usual service dog like a Labrador.

The supply of real dogs is limited by breeding and training needs. Gao said the production of robot guide dogs could be increased to an industrial level, especially in a manufacturing center like China.

"It's a bit like cars. I can mass-produce them in the same way as cars, so [they] will become more affordable," Gao said.

The researcher thinks there could be a large market for his robot dogs. "...There might be tens of millions of people in the world who need guide dogs," he added.

Words in This Story

stable -adj. not easily knocked over; firmly set

cane -n. a stick used to help a person walk

breeding -n. the practice of raising animals so they produce more animals like them

1 sensors   

n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。 来自辞典例句

2 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

4 cane   

n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的

参考例句：

• This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
• English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。