Daniel Zhu

Bio

Experience

Freelance Creative Technologist @ Landing Gear NY 03/2024 – Current 

Converting a semi truck into a simulation rig for an interactive trade show popup experience.

Decoding truck (CAN) signals and attaching sensors to provide reliable user input. Building an embedded hardware and web based system based on esp32 microcontrollers and a node server. Researching displays, sound, and haptic feedback for sensory immersion.

Creative Technologist Intern @ Lippincott Consulting 06/2023 – 12/2023

Researched and developed a full-stack web based AI tool for internal use with React and Flask implementing openAI and Stable Diffusion APIs. Created a VR data visualization and brand showcase application with Unity, Cesium, and external APIs.

Prototyped and developed interactive articles focusing on novel web interactions with React.js and Framer.js.

Digicon Monitor @ Carnegie Mellon 08/2022 – 05/2023

Mentored students with project fabrication and manufacturing techniques – laser cutting and Raise3D printing. Made resources and training available for over 60 previously excluded students.

Teaching Assistant @ Carnegie Mellon 01/2023 – 05/2023
Taught a class of 15 students digital fabrication and electronic prototyping skills and techniques: laser cutting, 3D printing, Arduino, motion tracking, and Unity.

UI/UX and VR Designer @ Biomotivate 01/2020 – 08/2020
Designed a dashboard to visualize biometric data for patients recovering from opioid addiction for clinician use. Conducted user research at 3 local clinics to establish baseline features and a prototype based on feedback from both patients and clinicians.

Research Assistant @ Carnegie Mellon 01/2022 – 05/2022
Built a front end framework for Falcon, a interactive big data visualization tool, with Yarn, Svelte, and Typescript. Falcon reduces latency and computation time, resulting in 50 fps for multiple linked visualizations and billions of data points.