The RERC encompasses projects in all of the labs listed on the RERC Center Page. Examples of specific projects include the following:
Infant Vision Assessment (Good Lab)
Assessment of Reading in mTBI and Early ARM (Lott Lab)
Assessment of Speechreading with a Visual Impairment (Simon Lab)
Development of a Hearing Aid for Blind Mobility (Brabyn Lab)
Development of Vocational Instrumentation for Blind Users (Brabyn Lab)
Access to Instruments and Appliances (Coughlan Lab, Miele Lab)
Finding and Reading Print Signs (Coughlan Lab)
Access to Travel Information (Miele Lab, Coughlan Lab, Crandall Lab)
Access to STEM Education for Blind and Visually Impaired Persons (Miele Lab)
Publications
Projects
Empowering Data Vision: A Data Science Course for Blind Individuals Using R
The goal of the “Empowering Data Vision: A Data Science Course for Blind Individuals” program is to help people with visual impairments acquire advanced skills related to STEM subjects and careers.
Audiom Map of Smith-Kettlewell
An Audiom map of the main Smith-Kettlewell building at 2318 Fillmore St., San Francisco has been created by Brandon Biggs. This is an audio-visual map that allows users to explore a detailed map of the building with or without vision. The map runs in any browser and is available to anyone who visits the building.
Magic Map
The Magic Map is an interactive 3D map installed at the Magical Bridge Playground in Palo Alto, California. It consists of a 1/100 scale 3D bronze representation of the playground, which includes over seventy play structures organized into multiple play zones and paths. When the user’s index fingertip touches a specific feature on the map, the name and description of the feature are read aloud in audio. This interactivity allows visitors with visual impairments to navigate the map without requiring them to read braille.
ZoomBoard: an Affordable, Portable System to Improve Access to Presentations and Lecture Notes for Low Vision Viewers
The goal of the project is to develop a “ZoomBoard” system that students with low vision can use to better access visual material on a whiteboard or blackboard. The prototype version of the system that we plan to develop in this grant will consist of a dedicated camera system placed by the teacher to capture a view of the board, which wirelessly transmits a video stream that will be displayed on a student’s iPad. The student will use the ZoomBoard app to view this video stream, zoom in on any region of interest using a pinch gesture on the iPad, and apply image enhancements such as contrast…
Centers
Rehabilitation Engineering Research CenterThe 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...
Get Involved
If you are interested in vision science or want to learn more about low vision and blindness, there are many opportunities to get involved at The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute.
