Brett Jones

I love turning advanced technologies into magical products. Most of my work is in spatial computing, mixed reality (AR/VR), projection, smart home, and generative AI / LLMs. I’m currently working on something new at Amazon Devices as the Head of Product. I co-founded Lightform, a VC backed startup making projection mapping easy with computer vision. I have a PhD in Computer Science from UIUC, at the intersection of computer vision & HCI. Before graduating, I was a serial research intern at Walt Disney Imagineering on AR/VR and Microsoft Research inventing IllumiRoom and RoomAlive.

@brettjonesr

Amazon Devices

Head of Product (Mgr, Product Management) 

2021 – present

I lead product (PM & UX) for a new hardware and software device within a special projects division.

Lightform

CEO & Co-Founder

2015 – 2022

Lightform‘s products transform spaces & experiences using projection mapping, adding magical effects & ambient interfaces to any object. Lightform uses computer vision to make projection mapping easy. Lightform was a VC backed hardware startup in San Francisco. 

Grew PhD thesis into a hardware company shipping 12,000+ units, with 26 full-time employees, and raising $18M Seed to Series A. Experienced in full lifecycle B2B and B2C product design & go-to-market. Invented, shipped, & sustained 3 new hardware / software products with an additional 3 products in development: 1 in private beta, 1 in development, 1 in R&D.

  • Product: Managed a product/design team, wrote initial PRDs, spec’d minimum lovable product, and post-launch spec’d new features and hundreds small improvements and bugs resulting in our flagship product at 72 NPS.
  • Marketing: Directly owned product marketing, website design & backend, and press. Contributed to organic & paid ads content.
  • Operations: Raised $18M including Lux Capital, Dolby Family Ventures, Seven Seas Partners, Baidu Ventures, Amazon Alexa Fund, and more. Owned fundraising, investor reporting, & financials.

LFX. 2021

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LF2/C Launch Video. 2020

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LF1 Launch Video. 2018

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IllumiRoom

Invented IllumiRoom, a projector that surrounds your TV with immersive visuals with Hrvoje Benko, Andy Wilson and Eyal Ofek. Featured in the CES 2013 Microsoft/Samsung Keynote.

CHI 2013 paper (Best paper award & best video award)

2012

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RoomAlive

Created a unified, scalable framework, RoomAlive, for covering an entire room in interactive projection mapping via multiple projector-camera units. With Raj Sodhi, Mike Murdock, Ravish Mehra, Hrvoje Benko, Andy Wilson, Eyal Ofek, Blair MacIntyre, & Lior Shapira.

UIST 2014 paper

2013

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Education 👨‍🏫

PhD, 2015
UIUC (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) #5 US university in CS
Computer Science: Computer Vision & Human Computer Interaction (HCI). Focused on VR/AR.
Advised by David Forsyth (Computer Vision) & Brian Bailey (HCI)

BS, 2008
UIUC (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) #5 US university in CS
Computer Science. Minor equivalent in fine art.
Bronze tablet (summa cum laude) 3.99/4.00 GPA.

Disney Imagineering 🐭

2008,2009,2010

VR/AR and projection mapping tools with Mark Mine & Bei Yang.

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PhD UIUC 🌽

2008-2015

Projectibles

Optimizing surface color for projection

@UIUC
UIST 2015

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Arto

The future of photography with depth sensors

@UIUC
2013

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Around Device Interaction

Spatial input for navigation

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Build Your World

Surface particles for generative projected AR content

@UIUC
ISMAR 2010

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Electronic Arts 🎮

Technical artist intern at Electronic Arts on the Sims 3. Implemented plugin for Maya enabling in Maya previews of final game procedural textures

2007

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Publications 📰

Collaborations

Patents 📄

Awards 🏆

Lightform

Grad School

Undergrad

  • Bronze Tablet (Summa cum laude), 2008. 3.99/4.00 GPA (BS in CS)
  • Dunn Systems Undergraduate Scholarship, 2008
  • Daniel L. Slotnick Scholarship, 2007
  • Ruth and Harold Hayward Scholarship, 2007
  • Illinois General Assembly Legislative Scholarship, 2005

Skills 👨🏼‍💻

 

Languages: C/C++, C#, Python, Matlab
Libraries: OpenCV, Qt, OpengGL, PCL, FFmpeg, Unity, UE
Software: Adobe (Ps, Ai, Pr, Ae), TouchDesigner, Maya, Jira admin

Talks 💁🏼

Hobbies 🏃🏼

  • Endurance sports: running (mostly 1/2 marathons), triathlons (70.3 Ironman)
  • New media: creative coding, motion graphics, 3D modeling, photography, cinematography, graphic design.
  • Traditional media: oil/acrylic painting, sculpture, wood working.

Favorite reading 📚