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Sarina Wu

Field: Software Development, HCI

Major: Computer Science

Host: Fraunhofer-Institut für Arbeitswirtschaft und Organisation (Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering) (IAO)

Duration: 3 months in summer 2017

Job titles: HCI Programmer

 

Job description: I worked primarily on developing two demonstrations during my internship. First, I created a demonstration, henceforth referred to as NeuroDemo, in Python 2.7 to illustrate the capabilities of brain-computer interaction in a factory setting. NeuroDemo used EEG to monitor electrical activity in the brain to determine whether the product the participant was viewing on-screen was defective. The electrical signals were monitored, recorded, and analyzed with the help of EEG technology and the open-source software OpenVibe. This demo was based on prior literature on error-related potentials. When I left, NeuroDemo was fully functioning using gel electrodes and was set up to be tested with dry electrodes as well. This demo was intended to be displayed to the public as part of Fraunhofer's Future Work Lab, a space that showcases a multitude of different demos intended to illustrate what a future work environment in a factory would be like.

The second demo was called the Adaptive Workplace Demo, and it incorporated the Kinect and LeapMotion controller to change a screen's output depending on where the user was detected (by the Kinect) in the room. In one location, the user could also manipulate a 3D model on-screen using a LeapMotion controller. This demo was coded in Processing 2.0, and it was also intended to be shown at the Future Work Lab.

These two demos occupied most of my time during the internship, but I also helped in other projects as a research participant and to give feedback on other projects. I also created a short script to visualize eye-tracking data for a coworker's research. Most of my internship was spent programming, and I developed a better sense of the technologies I worked with.

Comment: I developed a better sense of the technologies I worked with, and I learned to appreciate the value of asking for feedback. The feedback from my coworkers helped inspire new ideas to continue refining these projects throughout the time I worked at Fraunhofer.

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