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THE GUIDE DOG IS SOON TO BE

REPLACED!

Figure 1: Japanese designed Robotic Guide Dog

Having already being blamed for removing humans of their jobs, its almost as if
theres no way to stop robots from soon taking over the Earth.
Who knew the commonly known guide dog could be replaced!?
Researchers from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, have
developed a robot on reins device that will soon aid those vision-impaired, using
tactile sensors and vibrations (Woollaston, 2016). The thought of robot guide
dogs has outraged many people, not only those that are in need of a guide dog
but the trainers of those dogs feel as if their career has no future.
Guide dogs play an extremely important role in the life of their owners. They
assist the blind and those visually impaired by avoiding obstacles, stopping at
curbs and steps, and negotiating traffic. In this partnership between man and
mans best friend, the humans role is to provide directional commands, while
the dogs role is to ensure the humans safety comes first even if disobeying an
unsafe command is required.
The cute and cuddly, harmless Labrador has been chosen as the most popular
guide dog breed for the United States of America (Guidedogsofamerica.org,
2016). Labrador Retrievers make up the majority of The Guide dogs of America,
at 70%. These dogs have been found to be the most successful breed used for
guide dogs. In fact, the Labrador retriever is the dog that is most often used for
guide dog programs throughout the world.
Why would humans create robots that deprive humans of jobs?
Robots cannot be cuddled. Its almost as if those working in the robot industry
would intentionally want to remove the emotional attachment for those who are

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vision impaired. The relationship a man shares with his dog can be a
replacement of a previous relationship or something new that cannot be
replaced. Owners feel a sense of comfort when living with a cuddly huggable
dog. When other sensory organs may not come into play, the sense of touch is
always there. According to a self psychology study, an animal can be a self
object1. Self psychology explains why some animals are so crucial to a persons
sense of identity and well-being (Brown, Sue-Ellen, 2011). In some cases,
individuals have been known to feel stronger, better protected, and more
powerful in the presence of their animal companion. A guide dog is almost equal
in many ways to giving a blind man sight itself said Allen Caldwell, Britains first
recipient of a seeing-eye dog. Caldwell also wrote of his dog Flash, not only has
my dog given me glorious freedom and independence, never known since prewar days, but delightful companionship (Thorp, 2014).
If robots were to replace the guide dog, unless they were high in technology to
have the ability to sense predators well before they come into contact with the
person, they would not do anything. Dogs have been domesticated in favour of
mankind. Around twenty thousand years ago, dogs were originally used for
hunting. Later on, they were used for the protection of livestock. Now they are
found to be great companions to humans. They have been bred specifically to
increase the livelihood of humans and therefore guide dogs are specifically bred
to look after humans as well as love them like a companion. Robot dogs cannot
replace guide dogs because they dont have the technology to sense emotion
and its highly unlikely that a guide would malfunction. Robots may be difficult to
recharge or change batteries. The common Labradors never run out of energy, in
fact they require more exercise than what the average dog owner in America
provides them with.
According to the Biophilia hypothesis2, relationships between humans and
animals are driven by a need of survival need: assistance in acquiring food and
safety. There is an instinctive bond between dogs and humans which can aid in
explaining why ordinary people care for and sometimes may feel the need to risk
their lives so save domestic animals. According to the social support theory,
animals are a source of social companionship which is a necessity for a humans
life (Niktin, Patricia, 2011). Support for this is seen in the influence of a pet on an
empty- nester family. In this view, guide dogs are essential as they have been
trained in this area and robots dont have the reputation of being important for a
humans psychological well-being (Beck, Alan M, 2003).
However given their intelligence, agencies seem to overcome the problems
associated with the Labrador and mainly focus on the training of the dog. Guide
dogs must complete training with their first owner in order to successfully
become an official guide dog. In this case, guide dogs have the advantage over
1 Gives a sense of cohesion, support, or sustenance to a persons sense of self.
2 Suggests that there is an instinctive bond between humans and other living
systems (Wilson, 1984)

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robots. They learn very quickly and only require food as their stimulus. Whereas
robots require much more intellectual man power and go through many trials
and errors before they can be released.
Guide dogs have been working successfully for 85 years. Why would we change
something that already works perfectly and provides humans with a special bond
that can never be broken?

REFERENCES
Woollaston, V. (2016). 'Robots on reins' could soon replace guide dogs: Machines
use tactile sensors and vibrations to help people navigate Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3011069/Robots-reins-replaceguide-dogs-Machines-use-tactile-sensors-vibrations-help-peoplenavigate.html#ixzz4AtuZOkUL Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on
Facebook. Daily Mail Australia. [online] Available at:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3011069/Robots-reins-replaceguide-dogs-Machines-use-tactile-sensors-vibrations-help-people-navigate.html
[Accessed 7 Jun. 2016].
Guidedogsofamerica.org. (2016). Breeds and Matching Process - Guide Dogs of
America. [online] Available at:
http://www.guidedogsofamerica.org/1/programs/training-breeding/breeds-andmatching-process/ [Accessed 25 May 2016].
Brown, Sue-Ellen (2011) "Self Psychology and the Human-Animal Bond: An
Overview," The Psychology of the Human-Animal Bond, part 2, pp. 137-149.
Thorp, C. (2014). The history of Guide Dogs for the Blind. [online]
Telegraph.co.uk. Available at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/lifestyle/guide-dogs/11158339/guide-dogscharity-history.html [Accessed 8 Jun. 2016].
Nitkin, Patricia. "The Human-Animal Bond", B.C. Cancer Agency, University of
British Columbia. Retrieved on 2/06/2016.
Beck, Alan M. (2003) "Future Directions in Human-Animal Bond
Research," American Behavioural Scientist, Vol. 47, No. 1, pp. 79-93, Retrieved
on 2/06/2016.
Wilson, E. (1984). Biophilia. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.

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