BERNARD
O'CONNELL
XR Designer & Developer
“Any sufficiently advanced technology
is indistinguishable from magic”
- Arthur C. Clarke
I believe XR technologies have the potential to be this magic and to truly embrace the human element of human-computer interaction.
"Affected: The Asylum"
- Fallen Planet Studios
(2023 - Present)
At Fallen Planet Studios I worked on "Affected: The Asylum". A VR, horror, co-op game with a focus on exploration and collaboration.
For this title, I was employed as a game programmer. Some of my work included prototyping the A.I. for the antagonist. And numerous other gameplay features requiring network support.
Mersus Technologies
(2021 - 2022)
Mersus Technologies provide immersive training simulations to some of Ireland's largest biotech companies. They specialize in hand-tracking solutions to create the most intuitive user experience.
With Mersus I have worked through the entire lifecycle of several projects. During each of these projects, I have designed and implemented numerous interactions that emulate processes trainees would carry out in the physical world.
"EVIL DEAD:
VIRTUAL NIGHTMARE"
-Boomdash Digital
(2017)
"Evil Dead: Virtual Nightmare" is a mobile, virtual-reality game based on the cult horror movie franchise that was released on the Oculus store.
For this VR game, I was the primary developer of the interactive cut-scene using Unity. I implemented much of the UI, and the foundations for the main boss's A.I.
"SPACEWALKING"
UI/UX Master's Thesis
-University of Limerick
(2020)
For my UI/UX master's thesis, I designed and prototyped Spacewalking: a natural walking, locomotion system designed for VR, that enables users to move with 6 degrees of freedom. As an alternative to teleportation, Spacewalking also allows users to naturally walk around virtual environments of any size, from a small, physical space.
My dissertation can be found here. But, who's going to read that? So, as a quick highlight, after several user tests, this locomotion system has shown to result in no motion sickness or loss of spatial awareness.
"SPACES"
(2016)
Spaces contains a set of features that I designed and prototyped early into when my fascination with virtual reality began. The intention of the project was not to create a playable game or a useful app, rather it was an exploration into how VR could influence human-computer interaction, and how virtual environments might evolve alongside this awesome medium.