# Understanding Expectations for a Robotic Guide Dog for Visually Impaired People

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.04594 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.04594/

## Key facts

- Cited by 3 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 8 Jan 2025.

## Built on by (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [AdaptManip: Learning Adaptive Whole-Body Object Lifting and Delivery with Online Recurrent State Estimation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.14363/) (2026)
- [RoboFind: Multi-Agent Personalized Object Search for People Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.20330/) (2026)
- [NavAble: A Large-Scale Dataset and Synthetic Data Generation Pipeline for Blind Navigation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2610.19330/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Robotic guide dogs hold significant potential to enhance the autonomy and mobility of blind or visually impaired (BVI) individuals by offering universal assistance over unstructured terrains at affordable costs. However, the design of robotic guide dogs remains underexplored, particularly in systematic aspects such as gait controllers, navigation behaviors, interaction methods, and verbal explanations. Our study addresses this gap by conducting user studies with 18 BVI participants, comprising 15 cane users and three guide dog users. Participants interacted with a quadrupedal robot and provided both quantitative and qualitative feedback. Our study revealed several design implications, such as a preference for a learning-based controller and a rigid handle, gradual turns with asymmetric speeds, semantic communication methods, and explainability. The study also highlighted the importance of customization to support users with diverse backgrounds and preferences, along with practical concerns such as battery life, maintenance, and weather issues. These findings offer valuable insights and design implications for future research and development of robotic guide dogs.