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Robots to Help the Blind

Posted by samzenpus on from the helper-robot dept.

Timberwolf0122 writes "Computer scientists in the US have developed a robot that could help blind people to shop or find their way around large buildings. Utilising a RFID tags to find products and a laser range finder to avoid obsticals. The prototype was developed at Utah State University, is this the end of guide dogs?"

13 of 195 comments (clear)

  1. Spelling on the headline by prurientknave · · Score: 2, Funny

    Good grief what kind of retard came up with 'obsticals'?

  2. For an added sense of realism... by wcitech · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...the robots must stop and dispense oil on a fire hydrant every hour or so.

    1. Re:For an added sense of realism... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      I'd take Bender over Marvin any day.

  3. robot saves editors by prurientknave · · Score: 1, Funny

    The robot will now proceed to help blind slashdot editors with their spellongzzzz

  4. TFA says "no" by EvilStein · · Score: 2, Funny

    "People think we're trying to replace guide dogs, but we're not."

    Nope, not going to replace guide dogs. Dogs have excellent senses, robots just have bits & bytes.

    ""We refer to it as a robotic shopping assistant," he told the BBC News website.

    The guide dog won't keep hanging out by the auto parts section. who knows what the robot will do. Maybe subscribe itself to Popular Mechanics when you're not paying attention. ;)

  5. Re:Hell no the end of dogs. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    In Japan these things come standard with Plasma Rifles.

  6. Re:Hell no the end of dogs. by XFilesFMDS1013 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Then obviously you've never seen this movie.

  7. This just in... by isny · · Score: 3, Funny

    I tied my vacuum cleaner to my dog. Will this replace the roomba?

  8. It needs one more skill by lheal · · Score: 2, Funny

    ... to beat out man's best friend.

    They have to teach it to like peanut butter.

    --
    Raise your children as if you were teaching them to raise your grandchildren, because you are.
  9. Re:Simple answer: No. by tomhudson · · Score: 4, Funny
    At least a robot won't get you into this sort of predicament:
    I LIKE SEEING-EYE DOGS

    The pet store was selling them for five cents a piece. I thought that
    odd since they were normally a couple thousand each. I decided not to
    look a gift horse in the mouth. I bought 200. I like seeing-eye dogs.

    I took my 200 seeing-eye dogs home. I have a big car. I let one drive. His
    name was Sigmund. He was retarded. In fact, none of them were really
    bright. They kept licking their genitals. I laughed.
    Then they bit my genitals. I stopped laughing.

    I herded them into my room. They didn't adapt very well to their new
    environment. They would bark, hurl themselves off of the couch at
    high speeds and slam into the wall. Although humorous at first, the
    spectacle lost its novelty halfway into its third hour.

    Two hours later I found out why all the seeing-eye dogs were so inexpensive:
    they all died. No apparent reason. They all just sorta' dropped dead.
    Kinda' like when you buy a goldfish and it dies five hours later. Damn
    cheap seeing-eye dogs.

    I didn't know what to do. There were 200 dead seeing-eye dogs lying all over my
    room, on the bed, in the dresser, hanging from my bookcase. It looked
    like I had 200 cheap hair pieces.

    I tried to flush one down the toilet. It didn't work. It got stuck.
    Then I had one dead, wet seeing-eye dog and 199 dead, dry seeing-eye dogs.

    I tried pretending that they were just stuffed animals. That worked for
    a while, that is until they began to decompose. It started to smell real
    bad.

    I had to pee but there was a dead seeing-eye dog in the toilet and I didn't want
    to call the plumber. I was embarrassed.

    I tried to slow down the decomposition by freezing them. Unfortunately
    there was only enough room for two seeing-eye dogs at a time so I had to change
    them every 30 seconds. I also had to eat all the food in the freezer so
    it didn't all go bad.

    I tried burning them. Little did I know my bed was flammable. I had to
    extinguish the fire.

    Then I had one dead, wet seeing-eye dog in my toilet, two dead, frozen seeing-eye dogs in
    my freezer, and 197 dead, charred seeing-eye dogs in a pile on my bed. The odor
    wasn't improving.

    I became agitated at my inability to dispose of my seeing-eye dogs and to use the
    bathroom. I severely beat one of my seeing-eye dogs. I felt better.

    I tried throwing them way but the garbage man said that the city wasn't
    allowed to dispose of charred dogs. I told him that I had a wet
    one. He couldn't take that one either. I didn't bother asking about the
    frozen ones.

    I finally arrived at a solution. I gave them out as Christmas gifts. My
    friends didn't know quite what to say. They pretended that they like
    them but I could tell they were lying. Ingrates. So I bit them in
    the genitals.

    I like seeing-eye dogs
  10. It's just not the same with a robot... by DickeyWayne · · Score: 3, Funny

    A blind man walks into a store, grabs his guide dog by the tail, and starts swinging him around in circles.

    The clerk runs up. "Sir, can I help you?"

    "Naaa. I'm just looking around."

    Jokes just won't be as funny with robots.

  11. Re:we're almost able to replace their eyes! by croddy · · Score: 2, Funny

    well, at least we have this

  12. Robots help the blind by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Robots help the blind!
    Robots help the blind!
    They sometimes like to kill and maim!
    But they are often kind!

    http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/robots.php