Robotic seeing-eye dog created with the help of Kinect

For over 6 years now, Japanese robotics and manufacturing firm NSK has been working on a robotic guide dog concept that could someday replace living hounds with mechanical ones. The company is now on its third iteration of the helpful bot, and the newest model uses Microsoft's Kinect accessory to give the prototype pooch a set of real working eyes.

The robot — unromantically named NR003 — is miles ahead of its predecessors. It uses four legs and a total of eight wheels to move swiftly over even ground, and can even scale stairs with relative ease. By comparison, NSK's previous models took several minutes to complete even the smallest of climbing tasks. With the addition of the all-seeing Kinect sensor bar, NR003 can detect the depth and distance of obstacles, allowing the digital dog to plan its route accordingly.

Compared to an actual guide dog, the robot is considerably slower and less agile. However, the company's plan is to have a commercial version available by 2020, so it's still got some time to perfect the design. Check out the NR003 in the video above, and prepare for a future where robots become man's best friend... hopefully.

[via Dvice]

This article originally appeared on Tecca

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