Konstantin Klamka

I'm

The picture shows Konstantin on a mountain with fjord and fog in the background during a hiking tour in Norway.

About

I am an enthusiastic engineer and a postdoctoral researcher in the field of modern human-computer interaction, currently working at the Connected Robotics Lab at the Barkhausen Institut. My project and research interests are situated in the fields of multi-modal, body-worn and ubiquitous interaction approaches using and investigating emerging technologies.

  • PhD in Computer Science
    with the topic on “Blending the Material and Digital World for Hybrid Interfaces”.
  • 7+ Years of Professional Experiences
    versatile skills in collaborating with interdisciplinary industry projects, implementing software and hardware solutions, teaching & supervising courses and thesis, and publishing research at interantional leading conferences.
  • Addicted to Digital Innovation ... since I got my first i486/SX personal computer
    passionated about emerging technologies & digital trends. I love hybrid solutions that are engaging, fit into our everyday routines, and leverage digital capabilities in novel and meaningful ways.

Besides working with digital technoglogies, I love extensive hikes in nature, cooking & enjoying culinary delights, visiting museums & art collections.

I look forward to getting in touch with you! Just drop me a line via mail.

Skills

Soft Skills

My personality and professional work is characterized by...
Problem-Solving Mindset
Attention to Detail
Adaptability & Creativity
Collaboration / Teamwork
Strong Communication
Emotional Intelligence

As a computer scientist I have comprehensive knowledge and experience in programming, designing and testing complex software systems.

Imperative, object-oriented languages
Declarative programming
Versatile UI libraries & frameworks
Eager to learn new languages

Depending on the specific project requirements, I build on different software stacks, frameworks, and technologies. Examples are...

  • Android (Companion-) Apps
    Java, Bluetooh LE, Webservices
  • Eyetracking & Windows Application
    C#, Tobii Eye Tracking SDK, Google API
  • Cross-Device UI Streaming
    NodeJS, Tizen, C, JavaScript, WebSockets
  • Embedded Systems & UIs
    C, BLE, HID, ANCS
  • Viz on Large Display Walls
    Python, libavg, NetworkX, pymunk, GraphML

I have years of experience in the conception, design and creation of graphic media and interface designs using state-of-the-art software suites:

Layout & design principles, typography
Modern, responsive UI designs
Desktop publishing & print production
Illustrations, photo and video editing

For media production & UI prototyping, I mainly use Adobe Creative Suite, Apple Pro Tools and other professional software tools. Examples are ...

  • Photos and Illustrations
    Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator
  • Video
    Apple Final Cut, Adobe Premiere Pro
  • Desktop Publishing
    Adobe InDesign, Adobe Acrobat
  • UI Prototyping
    Adobe XD, Figma, Miro, Balsamiq Wireframes
  • CAD and 3D modelling
    Autodesk Fusion 360, Autodesk Maya

Digital innovative solutions seldom come by themselves - they need suitable methods to be shaped. I apply iterative, non-linear design methods, such as...

Design Thinking
Human-Centered Design

I teach and apply design processes that are centered around ...

Design Thinking
User-centered Design
Scenario-based Design
Research Through Design
Agile, iterative, non-linear processes

Applying methods and techniques like...
Hands-on Brainstorming & Workshops
Stakeholder & Expert Interviews
User Stories, Personas, Storyboards
Qualitative & Quantitative Evaluations

To technically realize envisioned concepts, I have strong skills in iterative prototyping processes using...

Digital fabrication methods
Electrical circuits & microcontroller
Smart materials, sensors and displays

I have gathered extensive experience in the area of rapid prototyping including:

- Digital Fabrication: CNC 3D-Printing (FDM/SLA/PolyJet) Laser (CO2/Diode)

- Microcontroller: Arduino (AVR/ARM) nRF52 series ESP8266 & ESP32

- Sensors: (piezo)resistive, capacitive and mechanical sensing

- Displays: electrochromatic Electroluminescence electrophoretic

- Connectivity: WiFi (TCP/IP, UDP, Sockets) Bluetooth (Classic & BLE)

Languages

My mother tongue is German, but I enjoy working, writing and collaborating with English-speaking colleagues and teams.
German (native)
English (fluent)
Latin (basic knowledge)

Resume

Summary

Konstantin Klamka

is a technology enthusiastic UI & UX designer, engineer, and postdoctoral researcher in computer science. He is passionate about exploring, prototyping, and discussing new innovations for IoT applications, wearables, smart & hybrid ecosystems and digital software solutions.

Building on his 7+ years of professional experience as a research associate, he acquired versatile skills in collaborating with interdisciplinary industry projects, teaching HCI courses and workshops, as well as publishing research articles. His particular interest lies in the fields of advanced and natural user interfaces, multimodal user interfaces, ubiquitous computing, and the physical prototyping with emerging sensor and display technologies.

Highly knowledgeable in ...

# Working with interdisciplinary teams

# Understanding user requirements

# Designing and prototyping innovative digital solutions

# Iterative testing, user feedback and evaluation

Education

Doctor of Engineering (Dr.-Ing.)

2016 - 2023
 
summa cum laude

Technische Universität Dresden, Saxony, Germany
Advisor & first assessor: Prof. Raimund Dachselt
Second assessor: Prof. Albrecht Schmidt

PhD thesis: Blending the Material and Digital World for Hybrid Interfaces
The thesis rethinks how novel hybrid user interfaces can provide useful digital functionality while maintaining their material properties and familiar patterns of use in the real world. For a systematic investigation, the thesis builds on a design-oriented, exploratory, and iterative development process using digital fabrication methods and novel materials. As a main contribution, four specific research projects are presented that apply and discuss different visual and interactive augmentation principles.

Further details are available on the dissertation project page

Diploma in Media Computer Science (Dipl.-Medieninf.)

2016

Technische Universität Dresden, Saxony, Germany

Diploma Thesis: Using Mobile Devices as Lenses for Graph Exploration and Manipulation
The upcoming digitalisation and emergence of complex data structures are increasingly in need of visualisation and interaction concepts, which offer users a suitable explorative as well as manipulative access to a high-density information space. This thesis addresses the problem with a systematic investigation of novel interaction concepts in complex graph systems and combines mobile devices with a high-resolution wall-sized display, which shows the overview of the scene.

See resulting research project GraSp

Awards

Honorable Mention Award

The ACM (Association of Computing Machinery) CHI conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems is the premier international conference on human-computer interaction and annually recognizes the top 5% of research papers with an honorable mention.

Rapid Iron-On User Interfaces received this award at CHI 2020.

Best Demonstration Audience Award

The ACM ISS conference on Interactive Surfaces and Spaces annually awards the best presented demonstration, voted on by the conference attendees of international researchers, experts and practitioners.

IllumiPaper received this award at ISS 2017.

Special Recognitions for Outstanding Reviews

The ACM conferences recognize outstanding peer reviewers. For this purpose, researchers who have made a significant contribution to peer review and have been beyond the ordinary in their actions are honored.

Special Recognitions at CHI'21, CHI'22 and DIS'22.

Most creative – Most innovative Award

The startup service of Dresden's universities and research institutions dresden|exists anually awards the most creative and innovative project at the faculty of computer science based on a commission of experts.

Elasticcon won this award in a selection process of 30 projects.

Voluntary Activities

Juror - FIRST® LEGO® League

To spark young generation's passion for science, robotics and technology, I support the FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge as a jury member in the research category.
For further details see https://www.first-lego-league.org.

Professional Experience

Associate Group Leader

2024

Connected Robotics Lab, Barkhausen Institut gGmbH

  • Lab and project management
  • Development of demonstrators for science communication and research projects to present and discuss the latest research results
  • Scientific analysis regarding information transfer and engagement

Postdoctoral Researcher

2023

Chair of Multimedia Technology, Technische Universität Dresden

  • Work on research proposals, acquisition of third-party funds
  • Scientific work on ongoing research projects
  • Conception, organization and execution of new teaching formats

Research Associate
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)

2016 - 2022

Chair of Multimedia Technology, Technische Universität Dresden

Scientific Activities
  • Publications (30+) of scientific papers at leading ACM and IEEE conferences and journals (peer-reviewed).
  • Reviewing (30+) international scientific articles
Teaching: Supervised Courses & Exercises (selection)

Foundations of Physical Computing Advanced User Interfaces Interactive Multimedia Technologies User Interface Engineering Visualization and Interaction Techniques Interactive Visual Computing

Supervised qualification works and theses (overall 15+)
  • Diploma Theses, Master's Theses
  • Bachelor's Theses
  • Student Project Theses
For additional details, visit my website at the Chair of Multimedia Technology.

Research Stay at the Cluster of Excellence MMCI

2018 - 2019

Human-Computer Interaction Lab, Saarbrücken, Saarland University

Working on a research project about a novel fabrication approach for empowering designers and makers to enhance fabrics with interactive functionalities.

See our joint research project Rapid Iron-On User Interfaces

UI & UX Research Associate for fastvpn
Network Infrastructure for Industry 4.0

2016 - 2018

Chair of Multimedia Technology, Technische Universität Dresden

The main goal was the creation of suitable and intuitive network solutions that meet both high performance requirements in real time and increased security requirements.

  • To increase usability, modern methods of human-machine interaction and interactive information visualization has been investigated, evaluated, and implemented
  • These aspects of hardware, software, algorithms, as well as usage concepts resulted in a comprehensive demonstration platform
For further information, see fast project website

Interface Designer & UX Consultant
for Interactive Exhibitions

2011 - 2014

Dresden State Art Collections, Saxony, Germany

Special Exhibition: Will Grohmann - Im Netzwerk der Moderne
Concept, Content Creation, UI/UX Design and Implementation
for interactive media stations to support the physical exhibits within the special exhibition "Will Grohmann - In the Network of Modernism". In particular, the art-historically important "Allgemeine Deutsche Kunstausstellung" has been digitally reconstructed that allows visitors to move virtually through the exhibition. The project included...
  • an extensive interdisciplinary investigation (content & concept),
  • the planning of software & hardware to deploy in a public museum,
  • and the design and development of a large and interactive 3D exhibition that provides multiple points of interest and supports playful exploration by the user.
For further information, see Will Grohmann project.

Special Exhibition: Peinture à l‘essence - Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
UI/UX Design and Implementation
of a gestural multitouch interface for high-resolution images (gigapixel viewer) and information overlays for the special exhibition "Peinture à l’essence" - Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. In detail, the interface ...
  • supports multitouch input for an easy panning and zooming,
  • visualizes different restoration states,
  • provides additional information layers and points of interest.
For further information, see Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec project.

Publications

I have published a number of peer-reviewed scientific articles, journals, book chapters, demonstrations and posters at leading scientific ACM and IEEE conferences. You can download a full list of publications (sorted by category), check my Google Scholar profile or visit my former institutional website with further ressources and details.

In addition, please find below a quick overview of my research:

Publications