Coughlan Lab

Journal Articles

Biggs, B., Pitcher-Cooper, C., & Coughlan, J.. (2022). Getting in Touch with Tactile Map Automated Production: Evaluating Impact and Areas for Improvement. Journal On Technology And Persons With Disabilities, 10.

Ahmetovic, D., Manduchi, R., Coughlan, J., & Mascetti, S.. (2017). Mind your crossings: Mining GIS imagery for crosswalk localization. Acm Transactions On Accessible Computing (Taccess), 9(4). http://doi.org/10.1145/3046790

Tekin, E., Vásquez, D., & Coughlan, J.. (2013). S-K Smartphone Barcode Reader for the Blind. Journal On Technology And Persons With Disabilities, 1.

Coughlan, J., & Shen, H.. (2013). Crosswatch: a system for providing guidance to visually impaired travelers at traffic intersections. Journal Of Assistive Technologies, 7.

Manduchi, R., & Coughlan, J.. (2012). (Computer) vision without sight. Communications Of The Acm, 55, 96–104.

Coughlan, J., & Manduchi, R.. (2009). Functional assessment of a camera phone-based wayfinding system operated by blind and visually impaired users. International Journal On Artificial Intelligence Tools, 18, 379–397.

Shen, H., Coughlan, J., & Ivanchenko, V.. (2009). Figure-ground segmentation using factor graphs. Image And Vision Computing, 27, 854–863.

Shen, H., Chan, K. - Y., Coughlan, J., & Brabyn, J.. (2008). A mobile phone system to find crosswalks for visually impaired pedestrians. Technology And Disability, 20, 217–224.

Walker, L., Verghese, P., & Coughlan, J.. (2007). Where to look next? Eye movements reduce local uncertainty. Journal Of Vision, 7, 6.

Yuille, A. L., Coughlan, J., & Konishi, S.. (2003). The KGBR viewpoint-lighting ambiguity. Journal Of The Optical Society Of America (Josa) A, 20(1).

Conference Papers

Biggs, B., Toth, C., Stockman, T., Coughlan, J., & Walker, B. N.. (2022). Evaluation of a Non-Visual Auditory Choropleth and Travel Map Viewer. In International Conference on Auditory Display (ICAD) 2022. Virtual: Virtual.

Coughlan, J., Biggs, B., & Shen, H.. (2022). Non-Visual Access to an Interactive 3D Map. In Joint International Conference on Digital Inclusion, Assistive Technology & Accessibility (ICCHP-AAATE '22).

Coughlan, J., Biggs, B., & Shen, H.. (2021). Point and Listen: Bringing a 3D Map to Life with Audio-Based AR. In 6th Annual Frameless XR Symposium.

Biggs, B., Coughlan, J., & Coppin, P.. (2021). Design and evaluation of an interactive 3D map. In RESNA 2021 Conference.

Coughlan, J., Biggs, B., Rivière, M. - A., & Shen, H.. (2020). An Audio-Based 3D Spatial Guidance AR System for Blind Users. In 17th International Conference on Computers Helping People with Special Needs.

Fusco, G., Cheraghi, S. Ali, Neat, L., & Coughlan, J.. (2020). An Indoor Navigation App using Computer Vision and Sign Recognition. In 17th International Conference on Computers Helping People with Special Needs.

Fusco, G., & Coughlan, J.. (2020). Indoor Localization for Visually Impaired Travelers Using Computer Vision on a Smartphone. In 17th International Web for All Conference: Automation for Accessibility.

Biggs, B., Coughlan, J., & Coppin, P.. (2019). Design and Evaluation of an Audio Game-Inspired Auditory Map Interface. In The 25th International Conference on Auditory Display (ICAD 2019). Northumbria University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK: Northumbria University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK.

Fusco, G., & Coughlan, J.. (2018). Indoor Localization using Computer Vision and Visual-Inertial Odometry. In International Conference on Computers Helping People with Special Needs (ICCHP '18). Linz, Austria: Linz, Austria.

Mascetti, S., Gerino, A., Bernareggi, C., D’Acquisto, S., Ducci, M., & Coughlan, J.. (2017). JustPoint: Identifying Colors with a Natural User Interface. In 19th Int’l ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2017). ACM: Baltimore, MD.

Presentations/Posters

Biggs, B., Toth, C., Stockman, T., Tupy, S., Coughlan, J., & Walker, B. N.. (2022). Audiom: an Auditory Web-Based Geographic Map Viewer Showing COVID-19 State Data and a Travel Map. International Conference on Auditory Display (ICAD) 2022.

Fusco, G., Tekin, E., & Coughlan, J.. (2016). An Appliance Display Reader for People with Visual Impairments.

Other Publications

Shen, H., & Coughlan, J.. (2012). Towards a real-time system for finding and reading signs for visually impaired users. In Computers Helping People with Special Needs (pp. 41–47). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

Tekin, E., & Coughlan, J.. (2012). BLaDE: Barcode localization and decoding engine.

Coughlan, J. (2012). Markov random fields and techniques for performing inference with them.

Coughlan, J., & Editor: Tyler, C. W.. (2011). Mechanisms for propagating surface information in 3-D reconstruction. In Computer Vision: From Surfaces to 3D Objects. Chapman and Hall/CRC Press.

Coughlan, J. (2010). Maximum Entropy Distributions and Their Relationship to Maximum Likelihood.

Coughlan, J. (2009). A Tutorial Introduction to Belief Propagation.

Coughlan, J. (2009). Basic 3D Geometry for One and Two Cameras.

Coughlan, J. (1999). A Transparent Interpretation of the EM Algorithm.

Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center

The Center's research goal is to develop and apply new scientific knowledge and practical, cost-effective devices to better understand and address the real-world problems of blind, visually impaired, and deaf-blind consumers
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Video Description Research and Development Center

The Smith-Kettlewell Video Description Research and Development Center (VDRDC) investigates innovative technologies and techniques for making online video more accessible to blind and visually-impaired students and consumers. Through collaboration with a broad array of partners and stakeholders in the Description Leadership Network, we are developing advanced video annotation methods for use in a wide variety of educational settings, as well as helping educators and other description providers make better use of the tools already available.

View Center

Active

Active

A Computer Vision-Based Indoor Wayfinding Tool

The ability to navigate safely and confidently is a fundamental requirement for independent travel and access to many settings such as work, school, shopping, transit and healthcare. Navigation is particularly challenging for people with visual impairments, who have limited ability to see signs, landmarks or maps posted in the environment.

Active

Audiom

Audiom: audiom.net

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"

Active

CamIO

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-ti

Active

Computer Vision Journal Club

The Computer Vision Journal Club meets periodically to discuss papers on topics in computer vision, machine learning and other topics of interest such as assistive technologies for persons who are

Active

Magic Map

The Magic Map is an interactive 3D map is installed at the Magical Bridge Playground in Palo Alto, California.

Sample indoor sign showing automatic detection in yellow

Active

Sign Finder

This project seeks to develop a computer vision-based system that allows a visually impaired traveler to find and read informational signs, such as signs labeling office doors, streets, restrooms a

Active

Tactile Graphics Helper (TGH)

Tactile graphics use raised lines, textures, and elevations to provide individuals with visual impairments access to graphical materials through touch.

Active

ZoomBoard: an Affordable, Portable System to Improve Access to Presentations and Lecture Notes for Low Vision Viewers

Completed

BLaDE

BLaDE (Barcode Localization and Decoding Engine) is an Android smartphone app designed to enable a blind or visually impaired user find and read product barcodes.

Completed

Crosswatch

Crosswatch is a smartphone-based system developed for providing real-time guidance to blind and visually impaired travelers at traffic intersections.

Zoomed-in view of appliance display partially obscured by glare

Completed

Display Reader

The goal of the Display Reader project is to develop a computer vision system that runs on smartphones and tablets to enable blind and visually impaired persons to read appliance displays.

Graphic of lines of braille with finger trace trajectory superimposed over braille

Completed

Regressions in Braille Reading

This project explores regressions (movements to re-read text) in braille reading.

The image on the right plots the braille reading finger movements in blue and regressions in black.

Completed

Tutorials and Reference

These are tutorials and reference materials I have written on various topics in probability and geometry over the years.

Completed

Workshop Series on Computer Vision and Sensor-Enabled Assistive Technology for Visual Impairment

Recent workshop:

Current

Ali Cheraghi - Postdoctoral Fellow
Brandon Biggs - Engineer
Charity Pitcher-Cooper - Scientific Program Coordinator
Christopher Toth - Engineer
Huiying Shen - Staff
Ryan Crabb - Computer Vision Engineer

Past

Alejandro Rituerto - Head of R&D in Vision at Mybrana
Daisy Lei - Lab Assistant
Ender Tekin - Associate Scientist at The University of Wisconsin-Madison
Giovanni Fusco - Engineering Manager and Lead Machine Learning Eng., Pixofarm
Laura Walker - Senior Visual Experience Engineer, Apple, Cupertino CA
Pannag Sanketi - Tech Lead Manager/Senior Staff Software Engineer at Google
Santani Teng - Associate Scientist
Valerie Morash - Postdoctoral Fellow, Psychology
Vidya Murali - Technical expert in applied machine learning at Ford Research
Volodymyr Ivanchenko - Software Engineer at Waymo

SKERI Receives Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) grant on...

Smith-Kettlewell is proud to announce the newly awarded Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) grant on Blindness and Low Vision. This is a five-year grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, establishing Smith-Kettlewell as a center promoting the independence and well-being of people with visual impairments through research and development to improve the understanding of, and provide solutions for, challenges facing the blind and low-vision community.

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SKERI Engineer Featured on the Blind Abilities Podcast

SKERI engineer, Brandon Biggs, was featured on the Blind Abilities podcast to discuss Audiom - a SKERI Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center

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Audiom allows for accessible, virtual visits to the Magical Bridge...

The Magical Bridge Foundation mission is to bring inclusive, accessive playgrounds that can be enjoyed by all children. For the first time, it is now possible for blind and visually impaired visitors to view a nonvisual map of the Magical Bridge Playground in Palo Alto, at home, directly from their web browser using Audiom . Audiom was developed by Smith-Kettlewell researcher, Brandon Biggs , is...

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SKERI Researcher talks Indoor Navigation & Mapping on Blind Bargains

The work of Dr. James Coughlan and Brandon Biggs was again recognized at the annual CSUN conference, where Brandon was interviewed for a podcast on Blind Bargains, a source for news and resources for the blind community.

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SKERI Research Recognized with the Dr. Arthur I. Karshmer Award for...

We congratulate Dr. James Coughlan , Dr. Huiying Shen and Brandon Biggs, MDes on winning the Dr. Arthur I. Karshmer Award for Assistive Technology Research with their publication Towards Accessible Audio Labeling of 3D Objects that aims to harness smart phone-based technology to query information about a multitude of objects in users' daily lives. The award is given out annually to the top...

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Brandon Biggs brings his ideas for accessibility to SKERI

We’re excited to welcome Brandon Biggs to the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute. Brandon arrived in August to collaborate with Dr. Coughlan, Dr. Shen and Dr. Fusco to work on accessibility research and development. This collaboration started last year, when Brandon met Dr. Coughlan at the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) International Conference in Reno, Nevada. Brandon was then enrolled in a Master’s program in Inclusive Design at OCAD University in Toronto, Canada, which he completed in June.

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Scientists Receive NEI Grant Aiding Blind Interaction with Physical Objects

James Coughlan, PhD, Senior Scientist at the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, San Francisco, California, was recently awarded a four-year grant from NIH-NEI (R01EY025332) entitled, “Enabling Audio-Haptic Interaction with Physical Objects for the Visually Impaired Summary".

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Dr. Coughlan's Bar Code Reader, BLaDE, Featured in Scientific American

Work by Drs. James Coughlan and Ender Tekin on bar code readers as an accessibility tool is discussed in Scientific American. The work with using these tools is specifically focused for people who are blind or who have visual impairments.

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