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VIRTUAL GUIDE DOGS IN ACTION

From initial testing to real-world impact, the Virtual Guide Dogs project continues to evolve. We are proud to share our journey through live demonstrations and collaborative events, showcasing how our technology is being shaped by the community at every step.

A 3D matte-finish figurine of Virtual Guide Dogs Logo, a yellow Labrador guide dog mascot, shown in profile standing on all fours. She is facing right, wearing a red bandana with a white letter 'R' and dark, high-tech VR goggles with a white frame. Three tan, curved concentric lines are positioned in front of her face, visually representing spatial audio, against a solid white background
A woman in a blue Guide Dogs polo shirt holding a leash and a man in a black Red Nought polo shirt stand smiling in an indoor room behind a yellow Labrador guide dog wearing a harness.

See, Hear, Remember Shropshire Exhibition 2026

Location: Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury | Date: Tuesday, 16 June 2026 (10am – 3pm) In Partnership with: Sight Loss Shropshire, Community Resource & Radfield Home Care

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We were delighted to exhibit the Virtual Guide Dog project at See & Hear Shropshire 2026, a premier event that brought together over 70 local and national exhibitors dedicated to improving life for those living with sensory impairment.

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Based at the Theatre Severn, we hosted a live demonstration area where attendees could step up and try the system firsthand. We showcased exactly how our spatial audio technology provides a vital safety net for navigation, helping users move through their environments with increased confidence.

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This was a fantastic opportunity for our team to connect directly with the community. Reviewing the footage and the invaluable feedback shared by our testers is driving us forward as we continue to evolve the project.

A wide shot from the Video Game Accessibility Symposium. The user is on the right, and wearing a white VR Meta headset and a green button-down shirt while holding the 'Virtual Cane' the Meta controller. He is walking through a hall with industrial lighting. On the left, a member of the Virtual Guide Dogs team in a black polo shirt watches closely with a hand to his chin. In the background, rows of blue chairs and other attendees are visible in the workshop space.

Game Accessibility Symposium

Location: UCL Base KX, London | Date: 22nd to 24th April 2026

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Organised by the Game Accessibility Innovation Network (GAINetwork), UCL, and RNIB.

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The Virtual Guide Dog team recently participated in the Video Game Accessibility Symposium held at UCL. Organised by GAINetwork, UCL, and RNIB, this event served as a high-level forum for discussing the future of inclusive design and the crossover between gaming tech and assistive tools.

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During the symposium, we demonstrated how the immersive spatial audio and real-time mapping technology typically found in modern gaming can be repurposed for real-world navigation. This provided a unique opportunity to gather feedback from industry leaders and accessibility specialists, helping us further refine our audio-led navigation system.

 

By collaborating with networks like GAINetwork and the RNIB, we continue to ensure that our project remains at the forefront of accessible technology.

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​Want to see the Virtual Guide Dog in action? Read our full event recap and view the photo gallery from our day at UCL.

A group portrait of three people standing in the modern, bright lobby of Aico. Two women and one man stand side-by-side, smiling at the camera. They are positioned in front of a curved white reception desk, with a glass-walled elevator and large, circular golden light fixtures hanging from the high ceiling in the background.

Real-World Navigation Testing at Sight Loss Shropshire & Aico 

Location: Aico, Oswestry | Date: March 2026 

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In March 2026, Virtual Guide Dogs reached a significant technical milestone: successful navigation testing in a complex, real-world environment. The goal was to move beyond laboratory settings and challenge the software in a space that mirrored the everyday surroundings of our users.

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Through the incredible support of Sight Loss Shropshire, who have taken a keen interest in our development, we were able to conduct these vital trials at a log cabin provided by Aico. This environment allowed us to fine-tune our spatial audio signals and ensure our navigation was both accurate and intuitive.

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We owe a huge thank you to the team at Aico for providing the space, and a special thanks to Becci Cumblidge for her instrumental role in coordinating this collaboration. Her support, along with the insights from Sight Loss Shropshire, ensured that this milestone was not just a technical success, but a step forward in creating a reliable safety tool for the community.

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Want to see how the testing went? Head over to our gallery and watch the video. 

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