Created at Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center, Spring 2026.
In collaboration with Malaya Heflin, Melanie Danver, Zihan (Michelle) Fan, Alex Hall, and Jiaxin He
Advised by Shirley Saldamarco and Ricardo Washington
To read more about the project itself, check out our project website: Remnants Website
Remnants is an immersive gardening experience presented on a 270 degree curved screen. It explores the emotional toll on caretakers of dementia patients through the metaphor of a garden. Players plant seeds, water, weed, and trim the hedges using physical flower boxes and tools, and the garden responds to their attention and care. But over time, the garden continues to decline, no matter what they do.
There is intentionally no way to win. Like caregiving, the effort is constant, the responsibility is heavy, and progress is not guaranteed. We hope the experience builds understanding of what caregivers go through, raises awareness of dementia, and encourages earlier recognition of its warning signs.
In this project, I worked across both the hardware integration and the tech art. My goal was to use the hardware and trackers together to create a seamless, magical experience. Below is an outline of the key areas I worked on:
I learned UDP communication protocols between hardware and the Unity Engine. I turned RFID, button, and accelerometer data into real-time interactions in the virtual environment.
I used the Vive tracking system to gather real-time position and rotation data of physical objects, so the tools players held moved naturally within the garden.
I created shaders such as a Kuwahara filter for a painterly effect and a sway shader that made the flowers look like they were swaying in the wind. I also made the blend shapes work in accordance with the timing and narrative.
I created a progressive game system that advanced gradually as users understood the game flow and completed a threshold of tasks for each "chapter."
• Unity Engine & C# scripting
• UDP communication between hardware and Unity
• RFID readers, buttons, and accelerometers
• HTC Vive trackers
• Custom shaders: Kuwahara filter & wind sway
• Blend shapes
• 270 degree curved projection screen