Digital Information Strategy Room and Lighthouse Launch "Navi-Dog" Conversational Robot Guide Dog Development Project to Address Social Issue of Guide Dog Shortage
Digital Information Strategy Room Inc. (D.I.S.R) and Lighthouse Inc. have announced the joint development of "Navi-Dog," a conversational robot guide dog utilizing quadruped robots and large language models (LLMs). This project aims to provide a new mobility assistance option for the visually impaired, addressing the severe shortage of guide dogs in Japan.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 11, 2026 at 19:30
- 🔍 Collected: May 11, 2026 at 10:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 12, 2026 at 08:43 (22h 12m after Collected)
Digital Information Strategy Room Inc. (Headquarters: Tokyo, hereinafter D.I.S.R) and Lighthouse Inc. (Headquarters: Tokyo, hereinafter Lighthouse) are pleased to announce the commencement of joint development for "Navi-Dog," a conversational robot guide dog that utilizes quadruped walking robots and large language models (LLMs).
This initiative aims to provide a new mobility assistance option through physical AI, addressing the critical social issue of a severe shortage of guide dogs.
**Development Background**
Currently, it is estimated that approximately 3,000 visually impaired individuals in Japan desire a guide dog (Source: Japan Guide Dog Association), while the actual number of active guide dogs remains at around 800 (Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, as of March 2024). This creates a gap where only one guide dog is available for every four applicants.
The training of a guide dog requires over two years and costs approximately 5 million yen, with structural supply limitations due to a shortage of trainers and constraints in breeding and raising. Against this background, there is a demand for establishing new mobility assistance methods to complement guide dogs.
**Initiative Details**
D.I.S.R and Lighthouse have embarked on the joint development of "Navi-Dog," integrating robotics and AI. This initiative is in its early development stage, and we will proceed with open development, envisioning collaboration with companies, local governments, and related organizations for the product's social implementation.
**Product Overview**
"Navi-Dog" is a conversational mobility assistance robot that combines a quadruped walking robot and an LLM.
It primarily features the following functions to support user mobility:
- Route guidance to destinations
- Obstacle detection and avoidance
- Destination setting via voice interaction
- Recognition of signals and signs
- Detection of pedestrians and vehicles
The target users include not only the visually impaired but also those with low vision and elderly individuals experiencing vision loss.
**Technical Features**
The core of this product lies in the following two core technologies:
**Co-Ego Navigation | Obstacle Detection**
Integrates two perspectives—user's viewpoint and robot's viewpoint—to instantly grasp full-body level hazards, from overhead signs to steps on the ground.
**Conversational LLM | Voice Interaction**
Enables bidirectional communication for situation explanation and action proposals through natural conversations such as "Turn at the next corner" or "Is it crowded?"
**Future Development**
Currently, core functions such as obstacle avoidance and route guidance have completed operational verification, and we plan to transition to the demonstration experiment phase. We aim for a service release around 2027 and will proceed with pilot operations in collaboration with organizations for the visually impaired and local governments. Our mid-to-long term goal is to cover approximately 10% of the domestic guide dog supply-demand gap by 2030, and we will plan service expansion accordingly.
**Demo Video**
For smartphones, click here:
https://youtube.com/shorts/JjaFXHXHufs
**Contact Information**
E-mail: navi-dog-info@lt-house.com
**Company Profile**
Company Name: Digital Information Strategy Room Inc.
Representative Director: Masayuki Murakami
Establishment Date: April 22, 2024
Location: 1-34-19 Kitamachi, Nerima-ku, Tokyo
HP: https://disr-inc.com/
Company Name: Lighthouse Inc.
Representative Director: Ryota Hariu
Establishment: November 1, 2022
Location: Tokyo Portcity Takeshiba 10F, 1-7-1 Kaigan, Minato-ku, Tokyo
HP: https://lt-house.com/
This initiative aims to provide a new mobility assistance option through physical AI, addressing the critical social issue of a severe shortage of guide dogs.
**Development Background**
Currently, it is estimated that approximately 3,000 visually impaired individuals in Japan desire a guide dog (Source: Japan Guide Dog Association), while the actual number of active guide dogs remains at around 800 (Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, as of March 2024). This creates a gap where only one guide dog is available for every four applicants.
The training of a guide dog requires over two years and costs approximately 5 million yen, with structural supply limitations due to a shortage of trainers and constraints in breeding and raising. Against this background, there is a demand for establishing new mobility assistance methods to complement guide dogs.
**Initiative Details**
D.I.S.R and Lighthouse have embarked on the joint development of "Navi-Dog," integrating robotics and AI. This initiative is in its early development stage, and we will proceed with open development, envisioning collaboration with companies, local governments, and related organizations for the product's social implementation.
**Product Overview**
"Navi-Dog" is a conversational mobility assistance robot that combines a quadruped walking robot and an LLM.
It primarily features the following functions to support user mobility:
- Route guidance to destinations
- Obstacle detection and avoidance
- Destination setting via voice interaction
- Recognition of signals and signs
- Detection of pedestrians and vehicles
The target users include not only the visually impaired but also those with low vision and elderly individuals experiencing vision loss.
**Technical Features**
The core of this product lies in the following two core technologies:
**Co-Ego Navigation | Obstacle Detection**
Integrates two perspectives—user's viewpoint and robot's viewpoint—to instantly grasp full-body level hazards, from overhead signs to steps on the ground.
**Conversational LLM | Voice Interaction**
Enables bidirectional communication for situation explanation and action proposals through natural conversations such as "Turn at the next corner" or "Is it crowded?"
**Future Development**
Currently, core functions such as obstacle avoidance and route guidance have completed operational verification, and we plan to transition to the demonstration experiment phase. We aim for a service release around 2027 and will proceed with pilot operations in collaboration with organizations for the visually impaired and local governments. Our mid-to-long term goal is to cover approximately 10% of the domestic guide dog supply-demand gap by 2030, and we will plan service expansion accordingly.
**Demo Video**
For smartphones, click here:
https://youtube.com/shorts/JjaFXHXHufs
**Contact Information**
E-mail: navi-dog-info@lt-house.com
**Company Profile**
Company Name: Digital Information Strategy Room Inc.
Representative Director: Masayuki Murakami
Establishment Date: April 22, 2024
Location: 1-34-19 Kitamachi, Nerima-ku, Tokyo
HP: https://disr-inc.com/
Company Name: Lighthouse Inc.
Representative Director: Ryota Hariu
Establishment: November 1, 2022
Location: Tokyo Portcity Takeshiba 10F, 1-7-1 Kaigan, Minato-ku, Tokyo
HP: https://lt-house.com/