Andre Carlucci is a software architect, a .Net platform expert, and has a passion for open-source projects and agile methodologies. In addition to being the Founder and Director of Technology for Way2 Technology, Andre often speaks at developer conferences throughout his native country of Brazil, most recently he was at QCon Sao Paulo and at The Developers Conference in Florianopolis.
What got you started in technology?
My father was always interested in technology, so I had contact early on with the first personal computers. I liked computers a lot, but when the time to go to university came, I was still unsure about what to major in. I ended up choosing Computer Science because I figured it would be a set of skills that I could apply to any other field I would be interested in. For instance, I could create software for medics and learn a lot about medicine, for phones and learn more about telecommunication, maybe lawyers and law and so on. In the end, I opened up a company in the energy sector which I find fascinating.
Tell us about your background.
I have a Bachelor in Computer Science and I'm specialized in software architecture and development. I'm a Microsoft* MVP for .Net, part of the Microsoft* Regional Director Program, as well as an Intel® Software Innovator and Intel® Black Belt Software Developer. The best benefit about being a part of these programs are the amazing people who are part of them. I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to exchange ideas with so many talented people and that for sure makes me a better professional.
Tell us about SharpSenses.
SharpSenses is an open-source project to help C# programmers interact easily with the Intel® RealSense™ 3d Cameras. It works on top of the Intel® RealSense™ SDK and it provides easy to use interfaces to get applications up and running with very few lines of code.
I started the project to help myself in a personal project and I ended up expanding the features and publishing the result on GitHub. It has more than 3,000 downloads, which was really a surprise to me as it has such a narrow target audience.
What projects are you working on now?
Currently I’m working on a project where I use the UP* Board together with an Intel® RealSense™ camera to make a Smart Mirror. The prototype uses a two-way mirror in front of a monitor creating a regular mirror that shows your reflection and information widgets depending on who is in front of it. For instance, it would show time, current weather, some headlines and my commute time in the morning but it would change the context when my wife is in front of it showing things that are important to her.
Tell us about a technology challenge you’ve had to overcome in a project.
In this Smart Mirror project, I was planning to use SharpSenses and the Intel® RealSense™ SDK facial recognition features to know who is in front of the mirror. Unfortunately the UP Board runs the full Windows* 10, but it's not compatible with the Intel® RealSense™ SDK. I ended up porting the open-source project Librealsense from C++ to C# (the port is also open-source and it's now on GitHub) to get access to the camera and integrated with OpenCV for the facial recognition. It wasn't easy, but it worked just great.
What trends do you see happening in technology in the near future?
Definitely more and more artificial intelligence being used everywhere. I can't wait to see what's coming and I'm pretty sure that my 5 year old daughter will never have to learn how to drive a car.
Outside of technology, what type of hobbies do you enjoy?
Playing with my daughter is definitely my preferred way to spend my spare time. Currently I'm really addicted to CrossFit* and I try to travel as much as I can. Places with lots of breweries are commonly a destination. I also love to read and listen to podcasts every time I have the chance.
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