Kristen Kafkaloff

• Developed a real-time robotic animation control library (Beckhoff TwinCAT, Structured Text) for audio-animatronic figures
• Built Windows applications (.NET framework, C#) to allow stakeholders from various disciplines to control motion of audio-animatronic figures
• Collaborated closely with stakeholders and partners to integrate internal tools, including developing a C# HTTP client integration for robotic animation data and improving streaming motion data from Maya
• Supported in-field installation for Fantasy Springs expansion: Set up communication interfaces (e.g. sACN interface for DMX lighting data, parkwide signals between old and new park systems), commissioned show vehicle software, wrote and ran ATPs (Acceptance Test Procedures), designed and developed HMIs (Human Machine Interfaces)

• Developed 3D previsualization tools for real-time live entertainment and animated attraction data through Unreal Engine 4 plugin design and development (C++, Unreal Blueprints)
• Designed, prototyped, and demoed creative design review features
• Wrote Unreal Python scripts to support the pipeline development workflow
• Built a CI/CD pipeline to auto-generate WiX installers

Explored the use of event-based machine learning predictions for acoustic tactile sensing to guide autonomous underwater movement of a coral gripper prototype for collecting deep sea coral samples.