ABSTRACT
Cane has for been long as the most commonly used aiding equipment for the blind, supporting them in their daily activities. The cane allows them to sense ground obstacles, unevenness of road surfaces, and potholes and steps along their walking paths. Although guide dogs also provide blind people guidance, they are becoming less preferable because of the long hours of training and the large financial burden involved. For instance, the Japanese Guide Dog Association (JGDA) conducted a census in 1991 and concluded that 20,000 out of 250,000 blind people can live independently with a guide dog. However there were only 7000 dogs available, which was obviously not enough to support the high numbers of the blind. Similarly, in 1999, a census conducted in Taiwan shows that 50,000 people needed the support of guide dogs. Unbelievably, Taiwan had only one guide dog! Clearly, the availability of guide dogs is a prodigious issue and it is about time an alternative was presented. This project discusses the advantage of “guide robots,” which can be massively produced and at the same time solves the problems related to guide dogs.
