Our Solution
We envision a world where assistive technology is accessible and affordable for everyone who needs it to help with both their independent living and mental health.
After many years working in the sector, it was clear to Matthew that whilst many excellent Assistance Dog services are available to people with disabilities and/or other complex needs, dogs and other services are not always available or appropriate.
Whilst attending the World Police Summit in Dubai in March 2023 as an invited speaker, Matthew saw demonstrations of artificially intelligent ‘robotic dogs’ performing detection tasks useful for police forces and the military. They were specifically being designed to perform tasks that may be potentially dangerous for humans to perform.
Inspired by what he had seen, Matthew thought there may be potential in using these robotic ‘dogs’ as a service to people with disabilities or anyone in need of task assistance or improvement in their independence and wellbeing, much in the same way as Assistance Dog organisations currently operate.
After discussion with Christopher Thomas, an expert in Artificial Intelligence, they both agreed that this was a service that could be provided to augment and supplement the existing wonderful canine service dog service offers currently available (and not to replace it).
And so was born Robotic Assistance Dogs AI – a service to enhance and improve the independence, mobility and wellbeing of its users through the provision of artificially intelligent robotic assistance dogs.
With this mission in mind, we are excited to introduce the AI Robotically Engineered Guide (REG) - an innovative solution that harnesses the power of artificial intelligence, robotics, and cutting-edge sensors to revolutionise the field of assistance for vision impaired people.
REG is not intended to be a replacement for traditional canine assistance dogs, instead to provide a useful alternative to supplement and augment where canine assistance dogs cannot be supplied. REG replicates some of the capabilities of a canine assistance dog and adds capabilities only possible via technology.
A growing demand for guide dogs, coupled with a limited supply, has resulted in an ever-lengthening waiting list for those who require canine assistance.
The high cost of breeding, training, and maintaining guide dogs can be prohibitive, whilst allergies and cultural/religious factors can limit the use of canine guide dogs for some people.
Our AI Robotically Engineered Guide (REG) aims to address these issues by providing an intelligent, efficient, and cost-effective alternative to traditional guide dogs and other Assistance Dogs in the future.
Obstacle avoidance
One of the requirements for an effective REG will be to detect and avoid obstacles. The videos below show this early prototype of REG autonomously detecting the environment around them and plotting a course that avoids obstacles and also keeps them close to REG's holder.
Balance and auto-recovery
REG needs to avoid falling over and where necessary be able to recover from a fall. The videos below show how capable this early prototype of REG is with complicated balancing and their ability to recover when needed.
Common misconceptions of a guide dog
Guide dogs are wonderful in providing assistance to their handlers, although their role is often misunderstood.
Guide dogs are trained to navigate various environments and follow commands from their handler, but they don't inherently know specific destinations like a human would. Their training focuses on obeying directional commands that the handler provides, and it is the handler that has an understanding of their route rather than the dog. The dog's role is to guide safely around obstacles and hazards.
The dog uses its training, intelligence, and senses to make decisions about safety in real-time, such as stopping at curbs or avoiding obstacles. However, it's the handler's responsibility to know where they are going and how to get there. The partnership between the handler and the guide dog is based on mutual trust and understanding, with each playing a specific role in the navigation process.
