

- Principal Investigator:
- James Coughlan
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 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.
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).