Quin Kennedy

Medical Device User Research Object

Tue, 10 May 2022 12:00:00 +0000

We build a prototype medical device to be used in user testing to validate and compare various user input and feedback options.

My Role & Responsibilities

I iterated on an existing technical prototype to add features and improve fidelity for subsequent user research sessions. I was responsible for the technical execution including:

hardware: I selected components based on availability and requirements, designed a custom PCB stack, collaborated with an industrial designer to integrate the electronics with the physical design
functionality: I wrote custom firmware to take user input and provide feedback via buttons, lights, embedded displays, and speakers
control: I implemented a bluetooth-connected remote control interface for managing different user scenario options.

Collaborators

Lessmore

Smartfactory

Tue, 10 May 2022 12:00:00 +0000

Seven touchpoints distributed across two floors to create a cohesive story around data-driven opportunities in the manufacturing and assembly space. Touchpoints ranged from video playback, to CMS-backed touchscreens, to a remote controlled “command center” data aggregation and review space.

My Role & Responsibilities

backend configuration, deployment, and communications
assisting with various frontend and interaction updates and implementations as necessary

Collaborators

Gensler

unparking.space

Tue, 26 Nov 2019 12:00:00 +0000

My artist residency at the Laboratory in Spokane culminated in the installation of this interactive art piece. The back of a hatchback was transformed into a river of words bordered by asphalt. A soft glow emanated from the hatchback, drawing people nearer. hand “prints” were on the windows, inviting passers-by to touch the car. The more people interacted with the car, the more words would light up in the river, eventually revealing the phrase “we will create our own future together.”

Lakeside Laboratory

Tue, 26 Nov 2019 12:00:00 +0000

I explored many ideas while staying at the Lakeside Laboratory. In addition to being a biology field station, the laboratory hosts high school students for the summer. During my residency I dropped in on many of the classes and went on literal field trips to collect specimens, count invasive species, and learn about the various biomes around Northern Iowa.

Used photogrammetry to commemorate recognizable locations around the grounds
Explored using panoramas to capture the mood and movement in a place
Trained a machine learning model to convert vector maps from around the world into “Iowa” style satellite maps.
Created an experiment for visualizing audio recordings of animals in the area
Explored ideas of non-linear time and deja-vu through video manipulation
Investigated visualization and sonification of buoy data from the lake

Embody:Move

Sun, 20 Jan 2019 12:00:00 +0000

Embody:Move is a virtual reality experience developed with lululemon to explore the possibility of introducing people to a movement practice through an immersive environment.

The experience is inspired by movement practices such as yoga and tai chi. You are placed in naturalistic environments and invited to follow along with a guide performing various movements or poses. As you move, the environment responds and grows around you.

Embody:Move was premiered at Sundance as part of the New Frontiers program, and was shown at SXSW.

My Role & Responsibilities

I assisted with development and system architecture. One of the areas I owned was transforming OpenPose data into high-level pose quality measurements for use within the system.

Collaborators

MAP Design Lab Production & Creative Direction
lululemon athletica Partners
Glowbox Technical Development Studio
Joey Verbeke Sound Designer

Ocean Poems 000001

Tue, 11 Dec 2018 12:00:00 +0000

Using real-time weather data and a software algorithm, Ocean Poems 000001 constructs poems that interpret local weather patterns. Each poem is a one-time composition that will likely never occur again. This work takes a fun approach to expressing data, asking viewers to consider the way that we interact with the information that surrounds us all.

My Role & Responsibilities

I developed a series of scripts which expose and visualize the weather data which is feeding into the installation. These scripts run on Raspberry Pi computers and small monitors embedded in a vitrine inset into the floor.

I was also responsible for configuring all the systems for long-term installation, and consulting on defensive techniques for programming the poetry system to ensure long-term stability.

Collaborators

Bloom: Open Space

Wed, 21 Feb 2018 12:00:00 +0000

Bloom: Open Space is a collaborative, spatialized incarnation of Brian Eno’s and Peter Chilvers’ award-winning Bloom iOS app.

Guests create musical patterns and melodies together simply by tapping in the air. They are immersed in this collaborative audio/visual composition via immersive projection and the HoloLens’ augmented reality and spatialized sound.

My Role & Responsibilities

Provide technical examples and troubleshooting assistance for integrating persistent World Anchors into the experience.
Troubleshoot and provide recommendations for solving tracking issues.

Collaborators

Listen Production
Peter Chilvers Lead Technologist
Filip Baba Developer
Microsoft

Move Studio

Tue, 10 Oct 2017 12:00:00 +0000

Move Studio is a Virtual Reality experience that incorporates dance and basketball movement phrases in a series of abstract environments. Both you and the avatars around you effect the various environments as you each move in the space.

There are two parts to the application. The first is a demo experience that transports you through four environments. In each environment there are new ways of interacting with your surroundings, and the choreography is all around you. The second part of the application is a sandbox creation space where you can stage and play your own choreography.

Move Studio was commissioned by Microsoft to be featured as a demo experience for the Microsoft Mixed Reality headsets at partner retail outlets worldwide.

My Role & Responsibilities

I was the lead developer, responsible for system architecture, programming, and performance tuning.

Collaborators

Thomas Wester Technical Director
Joey Verbeke Sound Designer
MAP Design Lab Producer & Designer
Microsoft

Jim Henson Exhibit

Thu, 20 Jul 2017 12:00:00 +0000

The exhibit explores Jim Henson’s groundbreaking work for film and television and his transformative impact on culture. It features a broad range of objects from throughout his remarkable career including material from Henson’s experimental film projects and his early work. Interactive experiences allow visitors to try their hand at puppeteering on screen and designing a puppet character.

My Role & Responsibilities

I was the system architect and backend programmer for the interactive touch points.

We wanted a simple framework that would manage transitions between screens, pull in configurations through nested scopes, and connect to a larger event system for communicating between sub-systems. I developed a full-stack web framework that rewards a shared logical structure and visual language.

The client wanted museum guests to be able to record and send themselves videos and images from the touch points. I built a backend server that asynchronously downloads content from the individual computers running the interactives, and then queues messages to be sent to e-mail, Tumblr, and Facebook.

Collaborators

Chion

Thu, 15 Jun 2017 12:00:00 +0000

A Location-based AR experience leading people along the Chicago riverfront and through downtown to Millenium Park. Along the way the AR elements blended Chicago’s skyline and urban geography with Zion national park. each leg of the experience highlighted interviews and stories by rock climbers, river rafters, runners, and other outdoor athletes.

My Role & Responsibilities

Prototyping different AR options including marker-based, compass-driven, and geofencing
Integrating a Unity AR app into a iPhone app for more satisfying interstitial and map-based screen interactions
Technical artist processing custom watercolor maps into zoom tile groups

Collaborators

MAP Design Lab