I See You

Responsibilities: Proximity Capture with Arduino, Procedural 3D modeling, Particle Simulation, Data Processing, Data Visualization, PBR material

Overview

This project mirrors how real-world surveillance often operates: quietly, invisibly, and without consent by using proximity sensing to trigger both visible changes and hidden system behavior. It creates a layered experience: the viewer believes they're in control through a visible slider, but the system is already reacting before any input.It invites viewers to confront how easily their presence can be tracked—without flashy alerts or obvious prompts.

Goals

• Data Ethics Awareness. I visualize the hidden dynamics of surveillance to reveal how data collection often occurs without explicit consent, prompting reflection on digital privacy.

• Human-Computer Interaction. I explore proximity as an interactive medium, where a viewer's physical presence triggers both visible and concealed system responses.

Proximity Capture

A proximity sensor connected through an Arduino reads the signal, processes distance in centimeters in Arduino IDE, and streams it to the computer. The values are sent over USB as simple data that TouchDesigner can use in real time.

In greater details:

• A proximity sensor works by sending out an ultrasonic sound wave through its transmitter and waiting for the echo to return after bouncing off a nearby object. It then measures the time the echo takes to come back to calculate the object's distance from the sensor.

• The sensor is powered through the development board. It connects to it with a 5V power input, Ground pin,Trigger, and Echo.
• The board connects to the laptop through USB, where in Arduino IDE I compile and run the code that processes the distance data and allows the proximity sensor to communicate with TouchDesigner. Inside the Arduino loop, the sensor continuously sends an ultrasonic pulse and measures the time it takes for the echo to return, converting it into distance in centimeters. These values are then sent over USB to the computer in a simple text format, so TouchDesigner can read them easily. The short delay at the end keeps the updates running smoothly at about 16 times per second.
• The Serial node inside TouchDesigner receives the data from the specified port and puts it into a table.

Data Processing & Visualization

In TouchDesigner, proximity data drive the eye's color transformation, activating when the viewer engages with the secondary interaction that controls the anxiety level on the slider.

Eye: The base eye geometry is generated by twisting a torus. Its surface uses a PBR material enhanced with subtle, animated noise affecting the height, normal, and color maps. A ramp node produces a striped, three-color palette (black and two supporting hues) that shift dynamically.

Tears: A particle simulation emits from a semicircular source precisely aligned with the eye pupil to simulate tears.

• Proximity influences the hue, causing the color to shift as the viewer approaches.
• Slider interaction controls the turbulence and density of the particles.

Post-processing adds watercolor blur in a layered feedback, making tears look more washed, like a waterfall instead of straight on lines, making experience more believable.

Relevance

This work can support learning in classrooms, provoke dialogue in public installations, and inform ethical design in tech development. In education, especially media and digital ethics courses, it offers a hands-on way to explore surveillance where students don't just learn about data tracking; they experience it. The hidden interaction makes complex ideas about consent and visibility understandable.

In gallery or museum settings, it draws viewers in with visual intrigue, prompting reflection on their own digital footprints. For designers and developers working in UX, HCI, or smart tech, it acts as a critique: a reminder that just because interaction is invisible doesn't mean it's neutral.

Challenges and learning outcomes

One of the main challenges was combining the particle simulation with the 3D eye geometry.

I initially started with a familiar approach using the Particle GPU and force operators, but ran into a few issues. The particle source could only be easily defined using default shapes, which made it difficult to create a semicircular spawn area that aligned with the eye. More critically, I couldn't find a way to properly combine the 3D geometry and 2D Particle GPU output within a single Render TOP—because the GPU particles don't render through the standard 3D render pipeline, they appear as a separate layer and break the spatial coherence.

To solve this, I rebuilt the simulation using Particle SOPs instead. This allowed both the 3D eye model and the particle system to be processed through the same render pipeline. I then aligned and composed them from the camera's point of view to make the output appear unified. As a nice side effect, the emission angle of the tears shifted slightly toward the viewer, adding unexpected depth and emotional intensity to the piece.