projects

These days, my work is primarily presented in the form of academic publications (see Google Scholar). In my process, however, I tend to combine methods from design, human-computer interaction, systems prototyping and data analysis to find the best methodological fit to each project. This page serves to take you through some of my past work, in a visual format. It’s still a work-in-progress!

Experiencing the beauty of light (2015)

What makes light so special? Chiaroscuro was a light installation which I built that showed light as a private experience in a shared space. Inside a dark room, light from a LED near the eyes would be reflected back to show perspective lines. These lines weren’t visible to anyone without LED glasses due to the nature of the retroreflective materials that were used. The result was a puzzling experience that could only be seen by one person – enabled by one single LED.

Repulsive eating utensils (2015)

For the class “Look!” at TU/e Industrial Design, I worked with a partner to explore the adjectives ‘fast, intense and repulsive’. This was first achieved through a collage, after which we developed sketches and ultimately made physical eating thimbles for picking up pieces of cheese. I was responsible for the repulsive one, which I carved out of potato and adorned with a spike of alpaca wool. It looked better after a few months, but unfortunately the prototype had to be disposed of for biohazard considerations.

How to embroider a radio? (2016)

Radio amateurism and embroidery have a lot in common – yet, the communities practicing these crafts rarely interact. I developed a method of embroidering crystal radio receivers using conductive thread in an industrial embroidery machine. Implemented in a pillow, you could listen to local AM radio without needing an external power source. I then organized workshops for both radio hobbyists and fabric practitioners to collaboratively make embroidered radio receivers.

Interface for an AI thermostat (2017)

What if your smart home thermostat could take more complex values into consideration? How would you express your preference for comfort, or how much you care about the environment? And what if your friend is over who tends to feel cold? I developed an interface that explored different graphical elements to express conflicting preferences, and used it as a video probe in an interview study.

Arduinos and Neopixels (2015-2020)

Throughout the years I’ve played a lot with Arduino and related electronics. Adafruit Neopixels have a special place in my heart. Here you see how I used them in a prototype futuristic belt in 2015, as well as in a sensing system used for an on-road user study in 2020 (now published!).

CoffeeChat (2020)

You’re working from home now, but you miss the office watercooler talk. Luckily, there is CoffeeChat! CoffeeChat is an app that links the coffee machines of remote workers – you’ll have to complete some successful small talk before you can enjoy your coffee. Never be without pleasantries again! This project was a team project conceptualized during the HCI Studio class at Cornell Tech. I was responsible for the app design. (In case it isn’t obvious: CoffeeChat is a critical design.)

Robotic movements (2020-2023)

Through various works I have investigated expressive movements for non-anthropomorphic robots, specifically the AxiDraw MiniKit. My explorations resulted in a published HRI concept video, as well as a published SCF demonstration of movements inspired by dance. I also experimented with ways to augment the design of the pen plotter to highlight its movements, for instance by taking inspiration from a peacock’s crest. (Photos will be added.)

Visualizing fashion colors (2021-2023)

This project is ongoing, but I’ve been playing around with color analysis of clothing and visualizing the K-means clusters. Example below!

Experiments with AxiDraw (2021-2023)

Lastly, some of my favorite experiments with AxiDraw workflows: designing in Blender 3D and exporting to 2D; and plotting through watercolor while a sponge drips water.