Dog guides are favored by blind and low-vision (BLV) individuals for their ability to enhance independence and confidence by reducing safety concerns and increasing navigation efficiency compared to traditional mobility aids. However, only a relatively small proportion of BLV individuals work with dog guides due to their limited availability and associated maintenance responsibilities. There is considerable recent interest in addressing this challenge by developing legged guide dog robots. This study was designed to determine critical aspects of the handler-guide dog interaction and better understand handler needs to inform guide dog robot development. We conducted semi-structured interviews and observation sessions with 23 dog guide handlers and 5 trainers. Thematic analysis revealed critical limitations in guide dog work, desired personalization in handler-guide dog interaction, and important perspectives on future guide dog robots. Grounded on these findings, we discuss pivotal design insights for guide dog robots aimed for adoption within the BLV community.

翻译：导盲犬因其能够通过减少安全隐患、提高导航效率，相比传统辅助工具更能提升盲人和低视力（BLV）个体的独立性和自信心而受到青睐。然而，由于导盲犬的有限可获得性及相关养护责任，仅有相对较少比例的BLV个体实际使用导盲犬。近期，人们通过开发四足导盲犬机器人来解决这一挑战的兴趣日益浓厚。本研究旨在确定使用者与导盲犬互动的关键方面，并更好地理解使用者需求，从而为导盲犬机器人的开发提供指导。我们对23名导盲犬使用者和5名训导员进行了半结构化访谈和观察实验。主题分析揭示了导盲犬工作中的关键局限性、使用者与导盲犬互动中期望的个性化特征，以及对未来导盲犬机器人的重要见解。基于这些发现，我们讨论了旨在被BLV群体采纳的导盲犬机器人的关键设计启示。