The perfect robot guide dog shouldn't be cute Approachable, packed full of navigational features, soft to the touch--and won't cause a scene. Researchers are in the process of tailoring a robot dog prototype based on feedback and preferences from people with blindness or partial sightedness. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Guide dogs that assist people with blindness or partial sightedness are a powerful reminder of the bond humans have formed with our four-legged companions. Properly trained working dogs serve as a second set of eyes and as a constant, high-stakes assistant, offering an unmatched ability to help their handlers avoid danger and navigate a busy world with confidence.

Dog guides offer an effective mobility solution for blind or visually impaired (BVI) individuals, but conventional dog guides have limitations including the need for care, potential distractions, societal prejudice, high costs, and limited availability. To address these challenges, we seek to develop a robot dog guide capable of performing the tasks of a conventional dog guide, enhanced with additional features. In this work, we focus on design research to identify functional and aesthetic design concepts to implement into a quadrupedal robot. The aesthetic design remains relevant even for BVI users due to their sensitivity toward societal perceptions and the need for smooth integration into society. We collected data through interviews and surveys to answer specific design questions pertaining to the appearance, texture, features, and method of controlling and communicating with the robot. Our study identified essential and preferred features for a future robot dog guide, which are supported by relevant statistics aligning with each suggestion. These findings will inform the future development of user-centered designs to effectively meet the needs of BVI individuals.

Robots really could be man's best friend, a study has found. People who lived with a pet-like robot for two months had lower levels of stress, similar to the benefits of having a dog. 'A robot may have an effect similar to that of animal therapy,' say the researchers in the journal iScience. They used a robot resembling a small penguin, which has two feet and the same body temperature as humans. When its stomach is stroked, it slowly closes its eyes and makes a breathing sound.

Last Saturday night, a young woman out on the town in Brisbane saw a dog-shaped robot trotting towards her and did what many of us might have felt an urge to do: she gave it a solid kick in the head. After all, who hasn't thought about lashing out at "intelligent" technologies that frustrate us as often as they serve us? Even if one disapproves of the young woman's action (or sympathises with Stampy the "bionic quadruped", a model also reportedly used by the Russian military), her impulse was quintessentially human. As artificial intelligence and robotics are increasingly deployed to spy on and police us, it may even be a sign of healthy democracy that we're suspicious of and occasionally hostile towards robots in our shared spaces. Nevertheless, many people have the intuition that "violence" towards robots is wrong. However, as my research has shown, the ethics of kicking a robot dog are more complicated than might be expected.

It's whip fast, obeys commands and doesn't leave unpleasant surprises on the floor – meet the AlphaDog, a robotic response to two of China's burgeoning loves: pets and technology. The high-tech hound uses sensors and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to'hear' and'see' its environment – and can even be taken for walks. "It's really very similar to a real dog," says Ma Jie, chief technology officer at Weilan, the company behind the product. The Nanjing-based creators say their robot dog – which moves at a speed of almost 15 kilometres (nine miles) per hour and spins on the spot like an excited puppy – is the fastest on the market. With four metal legs it is more stable than a real dog, Ma explains as one of his team swiftly kicks it to prove the point.

We love pets here at YellRobot. But one café in Tokyo may be taking things to a whole new level. Every Sunday, The Penguin Café opens an hour earlier and holds play dates for customers and their dogs. They happen to be robots. Customers seem to be really into the robot play date. They dress their pets in fancy outfits and carry them in dog carriers.

Astro looks ready for anything. There's a spectrum between cute and creepy when it comes to robot dogs. We've finally discovered some middle ground: Florida Atlantic University's Astro. Astro is a four-legged robodog that responds to voice commands. He can move forward, stop and sit on command and doesn't have the urge to go chase squirrels.

Disney Research has unveiled an amazing prototype of a robot that moves just like a real dog would. The company has released a new robotic kit that is capable of creating a variety of'robotic manipulators and legged robots'. A video shows the development of the robots from the very first conceptual stages. Disney has unveiled a new robotic kit that can create a'Puppybot' machine. The computer system uses a library of components to create potential robotic designs.

Sony Corp's entertainment robot "aibo" is pictured at its demonstration in Tokyo, Japan November 1, 2017. Sony's robotic pet is proving popular with dog-loving tech fans … or is that tech-loving dog fans? The latest version of Aibo launched in Japan in January, with the electronics company this week revealing the highly specific sales figure for the device -- 11,111 units -- for the first three months of this year. Aibo is currently only available in Japan, though Sony says it's considering taking it to the American and Chinese markets, too. It hopes the device can act as a companion for people who might not have the time or means to care for a real dog.

Pets are great, but in our modern hectic lives it's increasingly difficult to give them the love and attention they deserve without paying someone else to do it. But what if you never needed to feed them, walk them or worry about them tearing up the house? Maybe that's why Sony is bringing its robotic dog Aibo back from the dead. The Japanese electronics firm, once a pioneer in home robotics, announced that after more than a decade its robot canine pal will return to shelves with artificial intelligence-infused upgrades. Aibo is an ivory-white, puppy-sized, 30 centimetre plastic-covered hound with flapping black ears and a wagging tail.