CamIO

Picture shows person pointing stylus to plastic model of a biological cell; webcam (not pictured) views model and stylus; computer, connected to webcam, announces "Nucleolus"

CamIO (short for “Camera Input-Output”) is a system to make physical objects (such as documents, maps, devices and 3D models) accessible to blind and visually impaired persons, by providing real-time audio feedback in response to the location on an object that the user is touching. CamIO currently works on iOS using the built-in camera and an inexpensive hand-held stylus, made out of materials such as 3D-printed plastic, paper or wood.

See a short video demonstration of CamIO here, showing how the user can trigger audio labels by pointing a stylus at "hotspots" on a 3D map of a playground. See the Magic Map project page for more information on this specific application of CamIO. Longer videos explaining how CamIO fits into the Magic Map approach are here: Camio by James Coughlan and CamIO by Brandon Biggs.

The CamIO project received the 2020 Dr. Arthur I. Karshmer Award for Assistive Technology Research. It was supported by a four-year grant from NIH/NEI (R01EY025332), which was renewed in 2022 for another four years (2R01EY025332-05A1). It has also received support from the NIDILRR RERC (grant numbers 90RE5024 and 90REGE0018).