Qingyun Liu
Work
About
I focus on tangible interaction in XR design bridging people and their surroundings across realities, time, and space.
Beyond simply feeling objects in virtual spaces, MemoGlove emphasizes tangible telepresence, enabling users to reconnect with memories, even when beloved objects or people are no longer physically present. An air pressure sensor embedded in the glove captures and records the movement and pressure of the interaction as users touch objects. This data is visualized through a VR headset, allowing users to see their touch traces even without the original object. When their hand aligns with the recorded trace, the air pressure sensor activates an inflatable heating pad that inflates and warms, recreating the sensation of touching the original object. MemoGlove integrates VR headsets, physical interaction, and personal memories to co-construct a telepresence reality. It empowers users to build and interact with virtual and physical environments through a tangible experience across time and space.
I engage in creating XR and AI tools and mediums that augment people, environment, and culture.
Astronia, a wearable mixed-reality system, guides users from the tangible to the virtual. It integrates hardware and software development to create a responsive environment that seamlessly connects the physical and digital worlds. It features a mechanical glove equipped with photography and projection functions, alongside a VR headset that enables 3D model generation, gesture-based drawing, and visualization of personal environments in an immersive way. In the Rethink Subway Map project, I used machine learning to explore and represent three different perceptions of the city. This included mapping landmarks’ viewpoints through object detection with 436,602 street views, mapping the soundscape via image segmentation and classification, and mapping people’s emotions using natural language processing on 126,017 social media posts. Through these data, I designed a visualization platform to unfold spatial, social, and cultural dimensions of the city and strengthen interactions between people, space, and the local culture.
I design to better understand people’s perceptions and shape responsive environment.
In the Emotion Suzhou City project, I combined electroencephalogram (EEG) data with VR to study people’s emotional responses. I developed realistic and painting-style urban VR environments based on 3D scanned models and tested them on 12 participants with subthreshold depression. By analyzing real-time brainwave data provided by EEG, I quantified how people’s emotions fluctuate in response to different VR environments. Through this, I provided more effective VR environments for alleviating negative emotions in accordance with users’ preferences. In the Responsive Threshold project, I sought to increase social activity in traditional residential areas. Based on studies of people’s behaviors during rainy and sunny days, as well as at night, I designed a responsive installation that transformed entrance spaces. By integrating environmental sensors with Arduino, I created a convertible space that can generate 16 activity responses, encouraging diverse social interaction.
Technische Universität Berlin (Dual Degree) | Institute for Architecture, Master of Science in Urban Design
Tongji University | College of Architecture and Urban Planning (CAUP), Master of Engineering in Urban and Rural Planning
Tongji University | College of Architecture and Urban Planning (CAUP), Bachelor of Engineering in Urban Planning
Berlin, Germany | 2020 - 2022
Shanghai, China | 2019 - 2022
Shanghai, China | 2014 - 2019
- Interaction Design, Prototyping, Programming, Computational Design
- Project and Activity Management
- Research, Design, Prototyping, Game Mechanic design, Unity Scene Design
- Urban Design, Strategy Development
- Intern Mentor
- User Experience Design, User Testing
- Machine Learning Model Training, VR/AR Platform Design
Computational Urban Design Lab | Spatial Researcher
Shanghai Millennium Urban Planning & Engineering Design Co. Ltd | Spatial Designer
Kunming Municipal Planning Bureau | Spatial Designer
Cambridge, USA | 2024
Shanghai, China | 2022-2024
Shanghai, China | 2023-present
Berlin, Germany | 2021
Shanghai, China | 2020
Yunnan, China | 2019
Yunnan, China | 2018
Shanghai Fashion Week Exhibition
Shanghai, China | 2020
“Highest Honor Prize” from Six Universities Co-Graduation Design Studio
“Scholarship of Shanghai City” (awarded to top 3% of students)
First Prize in the Urban Traffic Innovation Practice Research Report
Second Prize in the International Competition of Pocket Park Design in Fengxian, Shanghai
“Tongji Scholarship of Excellence” (awarded to top 15% of graduates)
2019
2017-2018
2017
2017
2014-2016
Liu, Qingyun, and Wang, Weiqiang. “Exploring the Interaction Between Activities of Temporary Street Market 3.0 and Urban Public Space: The Perspective of Informal Economy.” Urban Planning Forum, vol. 3, 2023, pp:27-37.
Book Contribution:
College of Architecture and Urban Planning of Tongji University. This is China: Hong Kong Painting Book. Beijing Science and Technology Press, 2020. (Lead illustrator of three)
Hu, Bin. Body Performance, Living in the Matrix, Dwelling in the Nature. Tongji University Press, 2018.
Programming: C#, Python, Processing
Prototyping: Unity, Arduino, Kinect
Languages: Mandarin (native), English (professional), German (elementary)