Amepi: Mexico Graduates' Robot Replaces Guide Dog Mexico News Daily
go to original June 6, 2015

Amepi the robotic guide dog. (EFE)

The lifetime cost of keeping a guide dog in Mexico has been estimated at about 300,000 pesos, but an electronic version might soon be available for far less.

Three graduates of the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) have created their own version of a guide dog for the blind, a robot called Amepi whose parts and software cost about 15,500 pesos.

It employs ultrasound sensors to get around: when it senses it is approaching an obstacle it slows down and changes direction, simulating just what a guide dog would do.

Amepi operates on three algorithms: one evades obstacles, another simulates a guide dog’s behavior and a third recognizes signs. It carries two cameras, runs on caterpillar tracks and is powered by 12 double-A rechargeable batteries.

...About 467,000 people in Mexico are blind.

Read the rest at Mexico News Daily

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!