# GuideNav: User-Informed Development of a Vision-Only Robotic Navigation Assistant For Blind Travelers

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.06147 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.06147/

## Key facts

- Cited by 4 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 24 of its 93 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 5 Dec 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 24 of 24)

- [LoFTR: Detector-Free Local Feature Matching with Transformers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2104.00680/) (2021)
- [Grounding Image Matching in 3D with MASt3R](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.09756/) (2024)
- [Past, Present, and Future of Simultaneous Localization And Mapping: Towards the Robust-Perception Age](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1606.05830/) (2016)
- [Reloc3r: Large-Scale Training of Relative Camera Pose Regression for Generalizable, Fast, and Accurate Visual Localization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.08376/) (2024)
- [GONet: A Semi-Supervised Deep Learning Approach For Traversability Estimation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1803.03254/) (2018)
- [Probabilistic Visual Place Recognition for Hierarchical Localization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2105.03091/) (2021)
- [Robotic Guide Dog: Leading a Human with Leash-Guided Hybrid Physical Interaction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.14300/) (2021)
- [CenterFace: Joint Face Detection and Alignment Using Face as Point](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1911.03599/) (2019)
- [Fast and Robust Bio-inspired Teach and Repeat Navigation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.11326/) (2020)
- [PlaceNav: Topological Navigation through Place Recognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.17260/) (2023)
- [Elasticity Meets Continuous-Time: Map-Centric Dense 3D LiDAR SLAM](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2008.02274/) (2020)
- [DRAGON: A Dialogue-Based Robot for Assistive Navigation with Visual Language Grounding](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.06924/) (2023)
- [Towards Robotic Companions: Understanding Handler-Guide Dog Interactions for Informed Guide Dog Robot Design](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.06790/) (2024)
- [WanderGuide: Indoor Map-less Robotic Guide for Exploration by Blind People](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.08906/) (2025)
- [System Configuration and Navigation of a Guide Dog Robot: Toward Animal Guide Dog-Level Guiding Work](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.13368/) (2022)
- [Quadruped Capturability and Push Recovery via a Switched-Systems Characterization of Dynamic Balance](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.11928/) (2022)
- ["I am the follower, also the boss": Exploring Different Levels of Autonomy and Machine Forms of Guiding Robots for the Visually Impaired](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.03481/) (2023)
- [Hierarchical and Safe Motion Control for Cooperative Locomotion of Robotic Guide Dogs and Humans: A Hybrid Systems Approach](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1904.03158/) (2019)
- [Transforming a Quadruped into a Guide Robot for the Visually Impaired: Formalizing Wayfinding, Interaction Modeling, and Safety Mechanism](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.14055/) (2023)
- [Beyond Omakase: Designing Shared Control for Navigation Robots with Blind People](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.21997/) (2025)
- [Exploring Levels of Control for a Navigation Assistant for Blind Travelers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2301.02336/) (2023)
- [Seeing-Eye Quadruped Navigation with Force Responsive Locomotion Control](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.04370/) (2023)
- [Can Quadruped Navigation Robots be Used as Guide Dogs?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.08727/) (2022)
- [FFI-VTR: Lightweight and Robust Visual Teach and Repeat Navigation based on Feature Flow Indicator and Probabilistic Motion Planning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.12800/) (2025)

## Built on by (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [CANINE: Coaching Visually Impaired Users for Interactive Navigation with a Robot Guide Dog](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.19501/) (2026)
- [Position: Assistive Agents Need Accessibility Alignment](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.13579/) (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)

While commendable progress has been made in user-centric research on mobile assistive systems for blind and low-vision (BLV) individuals, references that directly inform robot navigation design remain rare. To bridge this gap, we conducted a comprehensive human study involving interviews with 26 guide dog handlers, four white cane users, nine guide dog trainers, and one O&M trainer, along with 15+ hours of observing guide dog-assisted walking. After de-identification, we open-sourced the dataset to promote human-centered development and informed decision-making for assistive systems for BLV people. Building on insights from this formative study, we developed GuideNav, a vision-only, teach-and-repeat navigation system. Inspired by how guide dogs are trained and assist their handlers, GuideNav autonomously repeats a path demonstrated by a sighted person using a robot. Specifically, the system constructs a topological representation of the taught route, integrates visual place recognition with temporal filtering, and employs a relative pose estimator to compute navigation actions - all without relying on costly, heavy, power-hungry sensors such as LiDAR. In field tests, GuideNav consistently achieved kilometer-scale route following across five outdoor environments, maintaining reliability despite noticeable scene variations between teach and repeat runs. A user study with 3 guide dog handlers and 1 guide dog trainer further confirmed the system's feasibility, marking (to our knowledge) the first demonstration of a quadruped mobile system retrieving a path in a manner comparable to guide dogs.