Robotic guide dog, MiniTouch and a smart ring

Scientists from the University of Glasgow are developing a robotic dog similar to a guide dog. Using artificial intelligence, RoboGuide is intended to make it easier for blind and visually impaired people to move freely around spaces such as museums, hospitals and shopping malls. It will be based on mapping sensors and assessing the environment in real time to prepare the optimal route between locations based on that data. In addition, the robotic dog is to have the ability to communicate verbally with humans.

MiniTouch is a sensor developed by researchers from Italy and Switzerland. It is intended to enable people with prosthetic limbs to feel temperature differences in touched objects and distinguish the materials from which they are made. As part of the testing of the device, a temperature sensor was attached to the finger of a man’s prosthetic arm after amputation and then connected to an element mounted on the upper part of the prosthesis, touching the skin of the arm. The signals and sensations provided in this way allowed the tester to arrange the steel blocks according to their temperature with approximately 75 per cent precision.

Samsung presented a prototype of a new smart device for monitoring users’ health. The Galaxy Ring is supposed to be more convenient than a smartwatch, especially regarding sleep monitoring. It is supposed to collect data all the time on the user’s finger, tracking, among others, blood oxygen level. It will also likely come with technology to monitor sleep apnea.