Tom Yu is an Android engineer who enjoys video game development as a hobby. He created Sensor Sensei, a wearable boxing game that detects punching force using TI sensors connected via Bluetooth to an Android device. At a company hackathon, the initial prototype successfully connected sensors and detected punch force but had issues with slow data and sound playback. After the hackathon, Yu continued developing Sensor Sensei internally using technologies like Otto, Dagger, and a state pattern for game logic. The 1.0 version improved performance, UI, and added features like animations and profiles from backend servers. Lessons learned included the value of hackathons for exploring technologies under constraints and differences between games and enterprise apps.

1. Sensor Sensei
Tom Yu

2. About me - Tom Yu
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Android Engineer
UT graduate
Enjoys video game development as a hobby
Amateur magician

3. About Bob
● 270 lbs (when filled)
● 60” - 78”
● Born without legs

4. What is Sensor Sensei?

5. Wearable Hackathon

6. Wearable Hackathon

7. Planning
● Equipment
○ Punching Mannequin
○ Punching Gloves
○ TI Sensors
● Placement of Sensors
● No SDK for TI Sensor (Created SDK)
● BTLE

8. Initial Designs

9. End of Hack-a-thon
Good
● Connect external
sensor to Android
Device via BTLE
● Basic UI
● Punch force was
being detected

10. End of Hack-a-thon
Bad
● Data was coming in
slow
● Issues regarding the
sound pool (Multiple
sounds would play
simultaneously)
● Low Accuracy when
detecting a user
punch

11. Hackathon to Internal Project

12. Data Analysis

13. Technologies
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Otto
Dagger
Property/Object Animators [Android SDK]
Android Service [Android SDK]
REST Operations
Server
Praxis (Coming up next)
BTLE

14. Game Architecture and Logic
● Main Loop
● State Pattern (Finite State Machine)
● Game Logic/Rules
○ 15 second game duration
○ Increased difficulty as score increases
○ Leaderboard for users who obtain a high score

15. State Pattern

16. Sensor Sensei 1.0
● Sensor data is being sent at an acceptable
rate
● Improved UI and Visual Design
● Added animation
● Profile pictures are taken from MM servers
for a more personalized experience
● Improved Game Logic

17. What we learned
● Importance of hackathon
○ Explore new technologies
○ Bonding of the MM employees
○ Code under unusual or unfamiliar constraints
● Development of wearable tech
● Difference between game development and
enterprise application development

18. Questions?