Hi, I am Titus, a designer, engineer, and creative technologist. I develop HCI systems that allow people with limited technological literacy to do complex computational tasks and navigate large datasets. Currently a graduate student at UC Berkeley, I’ve previously made stops at ↗ Microsoft Research, ↗ MIT Media Lab, ↗ Helmholtz Research Society, ↗ Volkswagen, and ↗ KUKA Robotics.
My current work aims to evolve the unnatural syntax of human-machine interfaces to the high-level language humans traditionally use to express complex thoughts. I focus on deep learning to allow computers to understand the latent rules of our intuition. This enables users to speak to computers using the fuzzy yet highly nuanced language of our subconsciousness. Some application areas can be found in ↗ here.
Pixel Alchemist: Semantic image editing in realtime with a multi-parameter interface for StyleCLIP
Generative Deep Learning, Human-Computer Interaction
Synthesizing and editing images with deep neural networks requires new types of interfaces. Recent leaps in generative deep learning opened up the possibility to edit images with an arbitrary amount of fuzzy high-level parameters. My master thesis focuses on hard- and software interfaces that can accept any user-defined parameters and simultaneously control them to semantically generate and edit images with various StyleGAN models using global CLIP directions. ↗ Read more at GitHub
Bioluminescent algae as a bioreactive design material
Tangible interfaces, Marine Biology, Biocomputers
I propose the use of bioluminescent plankton as an interactive material. Challenging the idea that computers cannot be living things, this project presents a range of devices and media that utilize the light-emitting properties of Pyrocystis fusiformis. Core questions revolve around how bioluminescent algae as a new form of living, light-emitting technology can be reliably grown, maintained, and programmed.
What the world dreams about
Data Science, NLP, Cognitive Science
We utilize the BERT framework, a powerful transformer with an extensive understanding of natural language, to align thousands of dreams according to common topics. BERT’s deep learning approach to natural language processing makes it capable of understanding complex semantics. The result is a high-dimensional cloud of dreams where spatial proximity between data points translates to semantic relatedness. Dreams with comparable content are packed together, forming small and big communities of common themes. Moving through its axis allows us to explore these communities. ↗ Read more at MIT blog
Controlled & Synchronized Lucid Dreaming
Wearables, Soft Robotics, Mental Health, Speculative Design
Speculative design project for a future where social connections have mostly vanished due to widespread addiction to controlled lucid dreams which replaced interactions with real people. We propose an inflatable wearable that synchronizes dreams with real humans and renders prescribed therapy dreams through shared visual, auditory, tactile, and thermal stimuli.
MicroMix: Web-based Remixing of Microbial ‘Omics Data
Bioinformatics, Full Stack Dev, UI/UX Design, Data Viz
High Performance Cloud-ready Infrastructure to explore Microbial ‘Omics Data. See my MicroMix project page. To be submitted to Nature Communications.