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RFID-Equipped Robots Used as Guide Dogs
Roland Piquepaille writes "A professor in computer science at the Utah State University (USU) is building robots to help people with disabilities, according to the Utah Statesman in this article. The story, which is more focused on the professor than robotics, carries several anecdotes, such as an embarrassing voice recognition system. After a blind man cleared his throat, the robot misinterpreted the sound as a sign that the man wanted to go to the bathroom. Later, every time a man cleared his throat before speaking, the robot changed directions and insisted to guide him to the restrooms. Even if the article is entertaining, this project at USU is far more ambitious. In fact, they want to design RFID-enabled robots mounted on mobile carts which will welcome blind persons at the entrance of a supermarket and guide them through the store. I bet you'll never find those carts at a Wal-Mart store, but read more for other details, references and pictures about these RFID-equipped robots designed to help blind people."
The benefits of dogs over robots goes on and on.
I would have to disagree, a guide dog does not know where the library is, or the computer store, or your house, whereas a robotic dog will(does?) have a map and be able to direct you to the location. This robot sounds like a great idea, a good use of technology.
This sig is definitive. Reality is frequently inaccurate.
all i can see is a cut and pasted original article, do the editors even read the submissions ?
i guess copyright infringment is only bad when its software right ?
"Our store brand of coffee is cheaper, sir"
"Last time you had cheese on your list"
I can even come up with things lawmakers would think of, like forbidding Robby the Robot to suggest cigarettes or liquor.
The robots took out insurance policies on the blind men, and they're using every excuse they can to lead them to the bathroom where they can "accidentally fall" and be left unconcious in a running sink.
It's like the I-Robot movie, only worse! Well... it's like the moive, at least.
My Greatest Heist - Muisc partly inspired by the unbeatable Qwantz
Could anyone explain it to me why on Earth would such a robot - an otherwise great idea - be anny better with RFID than without it?
...this.
So yes, we'll be seeing Terminator deja vu in a few years.
The blind face two distinct but related problems: finding the destination, and getting there safely. A dog or cane is an excellent tool to get to the destination safely (in part because sighted people recognize them and give extra space), but they do nothing for the other problem.
I've helped several blind people find the location of something they were 10 feet from. They were pretty sure they were close, but didn't know where to go next. Their dog would keep them on the sidewalk, but had no idea that they wanted to enter the building not go past it.
I studied this issue (about 10 years ago), and at that time all technology to solve the second problem was much worse than a dog or a cane. However there was promise in technology to solve the first problem. In fact I said at the time (and other experts agreed) that there was unlikely to ever be technology that would replace a dog/cane. However technology was very likely to supplement those tools to help the blind get to their destination.