Intelligent Guide Dog and Biomimetic Legs Debut for the First Time: Zhejiang Smart Craft in the Torch Relay of the Asian Paralympic Games

Tech 2023-10-19 23:06:33 Source: Network

Tide News Planner Zhang Yu, Reporter Zhang Mengyue, Ye Yilin, Video Yan Dong, Xu Ketao, MartinOn the morning of October 19th, the torch relay of the 4th Asian Paralympic Games in Hangzhou was launched at Xiushui Square in Qiandao Lake, Chun'an County. Just now, the appearance of Cai Qionghui, the 13th blind torchbearer, became the focus - it was not the volunteers who guided her on the stage, but an intelligent guide dog with strong steps and clear and loud broadcasts

Tide News Planner Zhang Yu, Reporter Zhang Mengyue, Ye Yilin, Video Yan Dong, Xu Ketao, Martin

On the morning of October 19th, the torch relay of the 4th Asian Paralympic Games in Hangzhou was launched at Xiushui Square in Qiandao Lake, Chun'an County. Just now, the appearance of Cai Qionghui, the 13th blind torchbearer, became the focus - it was not the volunteers who guided her on the stage, but an intelligent guide dog with strong steps and clear and loud broadcasts.

Photographed by Xu Yan, a journalist from the Chao News client

This is the first time that an intelligent guide dog has been applied to the torch relay of a large-scale competition. It guides visually impaired people to walk with the spatial modeling and environmental perception capabilities of a quadruped intelligent robot. Walking with the intelligent guide dog, I have a sense of familiarity. Its use is the same as a real guide dog, and it can also give me a full sense of security. "Holding the intelligent guide dog slowly through the 50 meter transmission route, Cai Qionghui sincerely sighed.

The intelligent guide dog that appears in front of the entire Asia is developed and manufactured by Hangzhou enterprise Yushu Technology. Its scientific name is "B1" and it is an industrial grade quadruped intelligent robot. Perhaps you have an impression of the "eye-catching bag" used to pick up discus and javelin in the Asian Games track and field, and this intelligent guide dog is their "upgraded version".

If evaluated by the standards of natural dogs, 'B1' is a 'large dog' - when standing, 'B1' is 1.1 meters long, 46 centimeters wide, and 63 centimeters tall, approximately equivalent to a German shepherd dog.

Like real guide dogs, 'B1' can not only avoid obstacles independently, but also use voice broadcasts to remind blind people when obstacles are detected. Cai Qionghui said that during the short 50 meters of the torch relay, the intelligent guide dog informed her of the signals for "departure" and "arrival" respectively. Although the journey was short, it walked steadily and surprised me

Intelligent guide dog "B1" photographed by Xu Ketao

Due to over 6 years of real guide dog companionship, Cai Qionghui and "B1" had a very smooth transition. Previously, the R&D team had multiple intimate encounters between the torchbearer and the intelligent guide dog, and repeatedly modified and debugged them from the walking speed to the height of the armrest, from the length of the "lead rope" to the broadcast volume.

Taking the height of the armrest as an example, the intelligent guide dog uses the comfortable angle of the torchbearer's arm naturally drooping, just like holding a real guide dog, and can sense the other person's presence at any time; In terms of travel speed, "B1" can reach a maximum speed of 1.2 meters per second, and when it slows down, it accompanies the blind person for a walk like a gentle little dog.

Yushu Technology Market Promotion Manager Chuyang introduced that during the torch relay, the intelligent guide dog uses automatic cruise, which means it can move forward on its own without the need for manual operation. After multiple adjustments, we set a constant speed. Based on this speed, if encountering obstacles, the intelligent guide dog will broadcast 2-3 seconds in advance, allowing the torchbearer to react in advance

The reason for being able to react quickly is closely related to 3D radar. With the "pathfinding" of radar, supplemented by obstacle avoidance and visual recognition functions, timely adjustment of road conditions and real-time broadcasting functions can be achieved. In addition, intelligent guide dogs can also achieve functions such as climbing stairs and carrying weight, becoming a solid support for blind people.

Intelligent biomimetic leg Martin camera

Like the intelligent guide dog, it also made its debut with intelligent bionic legs.

After Cai Qionghui, after 66 passes, the torch will pass to archer Ye Jinyan. At the age of 7, Ye Jinyan lost her left leg in a car accident. The intelligent bionic leg with a deep gray coating will help her complete the torch relay.

This intelligent bionic leg, which makes Ye Jinyan run almost like a healthy person, comes from a high-tech enterprise in Hangzhou: Strong Brain Technology, relying on advanced brain computer interface technology behind it.

It is actually difficult to make prosthetics more flexible and able to support people's running. According to the person in charge of Strong Brain Technology, traditional prosthetics often encounter problems such as unnatural walking, compensatory body movements, and prone to falls due to their difficulty in imitating the human knee joint, making it difficult to support running. However, this biomimetic leg, through its built-in sensor system, can monitor the user's walking gait in real time, and then convert it into instructions through powerful algorithms to control its hydraulic system, in order to adapt to the current movement situation Perform dynamic real-time adaptation.

Ye Jinyan, who started wearing biomimetic legs in February this year, has been able to move more freely and stand more firmly. In order to have a better experience during the torch relay, Qiangnao Technology has iterated and upgraded the biomimetic legs, making them faster in computation speed, shorter in response time, and smoother in dynamic changes to meet Ye Jinyan's walking needs at different speeds.

Starting from early September, the technical team of Strong Brain Technology will accompany Ye Jinyan for in-depth training every week, helping her adjust parameters to make the bionic legs more suitable for her usage habits. More importantly, gradually adjusting her gait problems caused by wearing traditional prosthetics all year round, gradually bringing her walking posture closer to a healthy person.

It is an honor to represent Zhejiang Zhizao on the stage of the Asian Paralympic Games and showcase it to the whole Asia and the world. We hope to use technology and intelligence to make life more convenient and happy for people with disabilities, "said the person in charge of Qiangnao Technology.

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