Stanford + DUET Lab Research Collaborations
Objective: Virtual Reality has unprecedented therapeutic effects. Cornell’s Virtual Embodiment lab is intent on harnessing this technology to further stimulate recovery through simulated environments. The research done within the lab often undergoes clinical trials with partnering institutions for further development.
Completed Tasks
• Infinite terrain generation tiling
• Pausing animation toggles in game
• Integrating WAV files for ambient noise
• Third person camera perspective toggling
• Automating adding files to the Oculus Go
• Adjusting camera perspectives, and angles
• Terrain creation using unity default terrain tools
• Collision detection for game objects in the environment
• Building a 360 video application that tracks in-game eye Raycasts
• Logging data to CSV for tracking 6DOF in head and hand movements
• Supporting Backwards Compatibility with Rift, Go, and Quest Headsets
[The Lower Limb was Ported Over to the Quest and the GO.]
[Environment Created with Unity Terrain Tools.]
[Infinite Terrain Tiling Generation Based on Array.]
[Original Head Tracking CSV Logging Script.]
[The Previous Script was Expanded Upon to Allow for 6DOF Tracking in Head and Hand Movements.]
[Additional Collaboration with the DUET Lab in Building a 360 Video Eye-Tracking Application.]
Live Demo
[Live Demo Lower Limb Forest Scene Oculus Rift.]
[Live Demo 360 Video EyeTracking Application.]
IxD Box of Wonder
Objective: The purpose of this mystery box is to invoke a sense of nostalgia upon those who choose to peer into it, but it isn’t just nostalgia…it’s fear. Fear alongside anger are some of the most potent emotions human beings can feel. Fear can be petrifying, and often times entices us to behave in bizarre ways. I wanted to recreate this emotion by allowing the user to peer into the eye sockets to uncover a classic horror movie scene much to the likes of Dracula, or Frankenstein.
Operation: The front-exterior of the box is laced with laser engravings and consists of a skulls head. On the side there is a crack shaped cut out that reveals a touch sensor. Users are able to peer into the eye sockets and upon activation of the touch button are greeted by an animated horror scene.
List of Eletronic Parts
• Arduino Uno Board x 1
• Grove Base Shield x 1
• Grove LED RGB Backlight x1
• Grove Touch Sensor x1
• Grove Mini Servo x 3
• Grove LED Micro Boards x 3
• Blue LED x 4 -9V Battery x 1
• Connecting Wires / Converters
Process Documentation
[Brainstorming and Blueprint Sketches of the Proposed System.]
[Ideation, and Rapid-Prototyping of Concepts.]
[Experimenting with Mood, and Lighting.]
[Prepping Laser Cutting files in Illustrator.]
[Laser Etching Details on the Backside of the Box.]
[Laser Cutout for the Touch Sensor.]
[Bringing the Scene to Life, Creating a 3-Dimensional Representation.]
Live Demo
[IxD Box of Wonder Live Demo.]
The Cornell Daily Sun
Context: The Cornell Daily Sun is an independent daily newspaper published in Ithaca, New York by students at Cornell University and hired employees. The Sun features coverage of the university and its environs.
[Iconic Willard Straight Hall Photo.]
Feature One: The Takeover of Willard Straight Hall’s 50th Anniversary was a historic civil-rights movement that forever shaped the universities policies.Role: Designer + Front-end Engineer(React Framework)
Design Reasoning: One of the most iconic photos from this event was taken when a crowd of students were exiting Willard Straight Hall armed with weapons. This being the case, I knew that a firearm had to be at the epicenter of the design to stand as a symbol of remembrance. Another thing I wanted to emphasize was the breaking of chains, and the reasoning behind why the students took such extreme measures in the first place. However, as Cornell University is an Ivy League institution; I also wanted to show elegance in the form of a crest. Coupled with the varying font-weights and contrasting typefaces, I wanted to convey a proper message for the occasion.
[Adobe Illustrator Custom Crest Design.]
[Layout Design of Featured Landing Page.]
Experience Design: The Information architecture was determined by priority of importance decided upon by the staff. Going back to the point of elegance, I chose a black and white based color palette with trickles of faded gold to not only bring about a nostalgic factor, but also gracefulness. Seeing as how this event will forever be painted upon the memories of students, it felt proper to accent the design with brush strokes that bled into each section.
[A Year in Review.]
Feature Two: Every year, The Cornell Daily Sun dedicates a special issue towards the most notable events that have occurred on campus. This is called “A Year in Review”.Role: Front-end Engineer(React Framework)
[React Component Architecture Flow.]
[Modularizing Key Components For Reuse.]
Live Demo
[The Cornell Daily Sun Web Staff Demo.]
IxD Intersect
Objective: We were given an excerpt from “There Will Come Soft Rains” and asked to create a physical manifestation of our interpretation. This project focused more on the interaction between separate systems, as opposed to the former that was limited to a singular interaction. Intersect was inspired by artist Kazimir Malevich.
Operation: There are two components to this interaction. The first box is composed of an IR sensor that measures the heat of varying objects. Depending on the level of heat emitted, the Arduino board triggers different lighting effects to the LED strips attached. The second box is comprised of a motion sensor that triggers an ultra-sonic distance sensor that measures distance by emitting a high frequency pitch that bounces off a surface to be recalculated. Different sound effects are played depending on the distances that are retrieved. The boxes are designed to work and interact with each other.
Arduino Source Code
List of Eletronic Parts
• Arduino Uno Board x 2
• Sharp IR Sensor x 1
• WS28012 LED 5V Light Strip x 1
• Amazon 9V AA Batteries x 2
• Extension Cables
• Jumper Cables
• Dual Male 3.5 mm Jack x 1
• Micro SD Card x 1
• Bluetooth Wireless Speaker x 1
• Circuit Breadboard x 2
• PIR Motion Sensor x 1
• Catalex MP3 Module x 1
• Ultrasonic HC-SR04 Distance Sensor x 1
Process Documentation
[Circuit Diagrams for System.]
[Light Box Circuits, Top Lid Enclosure.]
[Sound Oriented Box Circuits.]
[System Unit Testing for Finite Numerical Adjustments.]
Live Demo
[IxD Intersect System Demo.]
What I Learned
My experience at Cornell University has been phenomenal. Throughout the course of my first year, I have had the pleasure of being mentored by world class faculty in subject areas pertaining to business, design, and engineering. From being taught iOS development from Apple Software Engineers to Product Design from Facebook Designers, and to even have the opportunity to hear the stories of successful entrepreneur alumni has been a great blessing.
[Letter of Recommendation.]