NIH Trailblazer Award for guide-dog robot research
Prof. Donghyun Kim has received an NIH Trailblazer Award — $624,064 over three years from the National Institutes of Health — to develop robotic guide dogs for blind and low-vision people.
Trained guide dogs are expensive to raise and have a short working life, and demand far outstrips supply. Building on the lab’s earlier user-centered studies with guide dog handlers and trainers, this project targets the capabilities that matter most in practice: reliable route recall, obstacle detection, stair climbing, longer battery life, and quiet operation — since users depend heavily on their hearing for safety.