Shared Guide Dog 4.0

Product Type:
Orientation aids
electronic obstacle detector / guide dog
Prototype

Areas of Application:
- blindness
- severe visual impairment

Description:
The aim of the Shared Guide Dog 4.0 (autonomous digital guide dog) project is to develop a technical assistance system that enables blind and visually impaired people to navigate in urban areas. For this target group, the cane is still the most frequently used assistive products. Similar to bike sharing, the Guide Dog 4.0 is available to many people in the sharing model, which reduces costs. For example, it could be used in a residential group for blind people and pick up individual people from the nearest subway station or accompany them to medical appointments. The Shared Guide Dog 4.0 can make the journey to the client just as autonomously as the Starhsip delivery robot, for example. The researchers have to deal with the challenges of navigation in an urban environment, such as GPS not working reliably near tall buildings. They have to deal with similar assurance problems that car manufacturers also have to solve in public spaces. In addition, the Shared Guide Dog 4.0 must also be able to navigate away from roads, e.g. on poorly signposted park paths where puddles, bollards, children playing and running dogs lurk as static and dynamic obstacles.

Other:
Project duration 01/2020 - 12/2023