【Voice_over】

In a park in Shanghai recently, a crowd has gathered to get a glimpse of a robot dog engaged in a demonstration with person who is blind.

Holding onto a white cane attached to the robot, 41-year-old Li Fei was guided through the park by the six-legged robot.

[Soundbite]

Li Fei, Visually impaired person:

"When it guides me, my path is straighter. On my own, as someone who is blind, I cannot walk in a straight line."

[Voiceover]

The robot's engineers at Shanghai Jiaotong University say unlike other robotic guide dogs, theirs is more stable.

That's because it has six legs instead of four.

[Soundbite]

Chen Zhijun, Assistant researcher, School of Mechanical and Power Engineering, Shanghai Jiaotong University:

"Most robotic dogs on the market have four legs that step in pairs, leaving them balancing on two legs at a time in a linear configuration. This makes them unstable as they need to continuously step to maintain balance. Our model, however, has six legs. It steps with three legs at a time, always forming a stable triangular base and ensuring it can stand firmly without constant movement."

[Voiceover]

Chen says the robot is equipped with the sense of sight, sound, and touch and is programmed with adjustable speeds ranging from 0.6 to 0.8 meters per second.

[Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]