Photo/Illutration Chieko Asakawa, director of National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan), who is visually impaired, heads to the ticket gate of a station during a demo experiment for an AI-powered suitcase on Sept. 15 in Tokyo’s Koto Ward. (Takahiro Takenouchi)

An artificial intelligence-powered suitcase being developed to guide visually impaired people is slowly moving toward taking over the roles of white canes and guide dogs, researchers said.

They are now at the difficult stage of making the robotic suitcase on wheels usable in both indoor and outdoor environments.

During an experiment in September, the smart suitcase guided Chieko Asakawa, director of the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan), to the nearest station from her workplace in Tokyo’s Koto Ward.

Asakawa, who is visually impaired and often takes business trips on her own, is one of the developers of the suitcase.

She thought it would be convenient if her suitcase could automatically show her the way, and she believed that visually impaired people could go out more freely and safely if a robotic suitcase took over the roles of white canes or guide dogs.

Initial research into the suitcase started around 2017 in the United States.

In Japan, IBM Japan, Shimizu Corp. and other companies joined the project to conduct indoor experiments at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido and elsewhere.

One hurdle in seamlessly moving the suitcase from indoor to outdoor spaces is that it needs large wheels and a motor to overcome steps and other outdoor obstacles, according to the researchers.

In addition, the suitcase uses two largely different methods to determine its location.

Indoors, it uses a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system to detect obstacles with laser light.

In outdoor settings, it employs the real-time kinematic (RTK) satellite positioning system.

It is difficult for the AI-assisted suitcase to use both systems while calculating its location, planning a route and helping users to move between indoor and outdoor spaces or guiding them through a crowd.

The outdoor edition of the AI-powered suitcase is about 100 centimeters tall, including its handle, and 50 cm wide.

It is equipped with a camera and a sensor on the upper part, while a personal computer and a graphic processing unit are installed inside to run the AI system.

Weighing about 30 kilograms, the suitcase can move at a top speed of 3.6 kph.

The demo experiment performed in accordance with the Road Traffic Law showed the challenges that must be addressed.

While guiding Asakawa, who had a white cane, the suitcase’s wheels got caught on automatic doors and lost traction on braille blocks.

The project team aims to put the smart suitcase into practical use at airports, hospitals and other facilities by March 2027.

“I hope that many people experience how robots like the AI suitcase can help them, and that it will become common knowledge in society," Asakawa said.

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