Jonathan Kofman

Adjunct Professor
Jonathan Kofman

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Jonathan Kofman

Biography summary

Jonathan Kofman is a Professor in the Department of Systems Design Engineering and cross-appointed to the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Waterloo.

Professor Kofman's research focuses on biomechanics and biomedical device/system design; 3D computer vision and 3D-vision sensor-design; and human-robot interfaces and human-robot interaction. His earlier research has resulted in commercial laser-camera range-sensors and worldwide used CAD/CAM systems in prosthetics. In addition, three patents were recently issued for: unconstrained range-sensing for application in a hand-held 3D scanner and 3D robot-vision scanner; an articulating joint for human-assistive devices and robotic applications; and full-field optical/vision-based 3D surface shape measurement.

Professor Kofman’s research lab, Intelligent Human Machine Systems Lab/ Optomechatronic Systems Laboratories, has done work in human-assistive orthotic-system design and biomechatronic systems in collaboration with Dr. Edward Lemaire of the Ottawa Hospital Rehabilitation Centre. Their research has led to new designs of a Stance-Control Knee-Ankle-Foot Orthosis (SCKAFO). The SCKAFO is a leg brace that first locks the knee joint when the leg is weight bearing (to support the weight of the body). It then unlocks the knee when the leg is unloaded, to permit the knee to flex, in order to allow the leg to swing forward smoothly with the foot clearing the ground while taking the next step. Ongoing research includes clinical testing of the new orthoses, design of new wearable human-assistive robotic/orthotic systems, and development of measurement and analysis systems for assessing dynamic stability in human walking. One patent has been issued and another one is pending related to this biomedical research.

Professor Kofman has been co-recipient and co-author of several research paper/research awards, and was awarded the En-Hui Yang Engineering Research Innovation Award from the UWaterloo Faculty of Engineering in 2008.

Research interests

  • 3D imaging
  • 3D vision
  • Surface measurement
  • Optical sensor design
  • Vision/inspection
  • Biomedical sensors/systems
  • Intelligent assistive devices
  • Wearable robotics
  • Prosthetics
  • Orthotics
  • Machine intelligence & robotics
  • Human-machine interfaces
  • Human-robot interaction
  • Pattern analysis
  • computer vision
  • Signal & image processing
  • Biomechatronics
  • Robotics
  • Operational Artificial Intelligence

Selected/recent publications

  • Howcroft, Jennifer and Kofman, Jonathan and Lemaire, Edward D and McIlroy, William E, Analysis of dual-task elderly gait in fallers and non-fallers using wearable sensors, Journal of biomechanics, 49(7), 2016, 992 - 1001
  • Howcroft, Jennifer and Lemaire, Edward D and Kofman, Jonathan, Wearable-sensor-based classification models of faller status in older adults, PLoS one, 11(4), 2016
  • Howcroft, Jennifer and Lemaire, Edward D and Kofman, Jonathan and Kendell, Cynthia, Understanding responses to gait instability from plantar pressure measurement and the relationship to balance and mobility in lower-limb amputees, Clinical Biomechanics, 32, 2016, 241 - 248
  • Kendell, Cynthia and Lemaire, Edward D and Kofman, Jonathan and Dudek, Nancy, Gait adaptations of transfemoral prosthesis users across multiple walking tasks, Prosthetics and orthotics international, 40(1), 2016, 89 - 95
  • Mohammadi, Fatemeh and Kofman, Jonathan, Single-frame digital phase-shifting 3D shape measurement using pixel-wise moiré-wavelength refinement, Optics and Lasers in Engineering, 78, 2016, 196 - 204
  • Mohammadi, Fatemeh and Kofman, Jonathan, Improved grid-noise removal in single-frame digital moiré 3D shape measurement, Optics and Lasers in Engineering, 86, 2016, 143 - 155
  • Howcroft, Jennifer and Lemaire, Edward D and Kofman, Jonathan and Kendell, Cynthia, Understanding dynamic stability from pelvis accelerometer data and the relationship to balance and mobility in transtibial amputees, Gait & posture, 41(3), 2015, 808 - 812
  • Waddington, Christopher and Kofman, Jonathan, Camera-independent saturation avoidance in measuring high-reflectivity-variation surfaces using pixel-wise composed images from projected patterns of different maximum gray level, Optics Communications, 333, 2014, 32 - 37
  • Waddington, Christopher and Kofman, Jonathan, Modified sinusoidal fringe-pattern projection for variable illuminance in phase-shifting three-dimensional surface-shape metrology, Optical Engineering, 53(8), 2014, 084109 - 084109
  • Li, Dong and Kofman, Jonathan, Adaptive fringe-pattern projection for image saturation avoidance in 3D surface-shape measurement, Optics express, 22(8), 2014, 9887 - 9901

Graduate studies