Hi, my name is Matthew Yao.

My interests are disparate, but lay primarily in the fields of computer science, intelligence, and health. My work is generally interdisciplinary, and I tend to branch out.

I'm especially interested in assistive tech and human-computer interaction, and using AI to innovate new technology.

Recent projects

2024

Tactron: A Low-Cost Refreshable Tactile Graphics Display

One of the greatest challenges for blind and visually impaired students is learning STEM subjects. Many key concepts, like graphs and molecules, are hard to comprehend without tactile feedback (braille images), and learning is severely restricted by sparse and limiting tactile graphic books—and manually making them is difficult. Refreshable tactile graphics displays, which dynamically create custom tactile graphics, are an emerging solution. However, these displays are expensive, with the cheapest being the Orbit Research Graphiti, priced at $25k. Tactron is a low-cost alternative, costing just $117.

Role

Independent Researcher

Visit Site

2024

CamVisors: A Low-Cost Early Obstacle Detection System for BVIs

Smart technology can be used not only to expand human capabilities but also to compensate for lost human functions. Making these technological advances accessible for everyone is a noble course but far from reality. The World Health Organization estimated in 2021 that over 80% of the world's 300 million visually impaired and 40 million blind individuals live in developing countries within sub-Saharan Africa. The current technology is too expensive and inaccessible for most visually impaired, especially in less-developed countries. Offering low-cost options remain a significant technical challenge. CamVisors aims to develop a cost-effective solution by building a pair of artificial eyes for the visually impaired, creating a walking path to avoid detected obstacles and recognize objects and text—and it costs just $125.

Role

Indepedent Researcher

Visit Site

2024

Vytal AI

Utilizing advanced web/mobile design and dev techniques to create an eye-catching website for a Vytal, VC-backed startup increasing access to brain health evals by utilizing gaze-tracking, an accurate early indicator of certain brain diseases. Vytal builds software that uses webcams to track gaze accurately, has over $1.3m in funding, and is valued at $12.5m+.

Role

Founding Engineer

Visit Site

Expert feedback

Read insights and praises from mentors and peers who have guided and witnessed my professional growth.

Professor Xiaojun Bi

Associate Professor of Comptuer Science, Stony Brook University

"In all my years of teaching and researching, I've never met anyone as passionate about HCI and assistive tech as Matthew. He's extremely talented and very creative. I want to say that I know he'll be solving the world's biggest problems, but he already is, as a HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT. Truly, Matthew is one of the most amazing people I've ever met."
Rohan Kalahasty

CEO, Vytal AI

"Matthew is the most wonderful person to work with. He's incredibly skilled at creating—simply put—sexy websites. Matthew is like a swiss pocket knife—he's good at doing everything. I've seen him debug complex machine learning models and convoluted cloud server hosting in record time. He's extremely passionate and dedicated, awesome to be around, and always gets work done. I can't recommend Matthew enough."
Korrie Beemer

AP Biology Teacher

"In my twenty-one years of teaching, I have taught hundreds of students in my AP Biology classes. Many of my former students have become doctors, engineers, and scientists. In my career, there is no student that I would recommend more highly than Matthew Yao. The most gifted critical thinker, the most motivated learner, and the best oral and written communicator I’ve ever worked with, Matthew Yao is simply extraordinary. Regardless of his intellectual genius, he has an easy-going and genuine personality. His teachers, coaches, mentors, and peers alike, adore him."
Will Clausen

CEO, Cartogram

"Here at Cartogram, we hire a high school student or two every summer as an intern to give them an experience in what computer science looks like in the real world. We've been doing this for nearly ten years, and in that time, only one has finished the project we've assigned to them over the summer: Matthew. I've seen Matthew work. I've seen what he outputs. I have no doubt he'll change the world one day, or be the next Steve Jobs."
Professor Xiaojun Bi

Associate Professor of Comptuer Science, Stony Brook University

"In all my years of teaching and researching, I've never met anyone as passionate about HCI and assistive tech as Matthew. He's extremely talented and very creative. I want to say that I know he'll be solving the world's biggest problems, but he already is, as a HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT. Truly, Matthew is one of the most amazing people I've ever met."
Rohan Kalahasty

CEO, Vytal AI

"Matthew is the most wonderful person to work with. He's incredibly skilled at creating—simply put—sexy websites. Matthew is like a swiss pocket knife—he's good at doing everything. I've seen him debug complex machine learning models and convoluted cloud server hosting in record time. He's extremely passionate and dedicated, awesome to be around, and always gets work done. I can't recommend Matthew enough."
Korrie Beemer

AP Biology Teacher

"In my twenty-one years of teaching, I have taught hundreds of students in my AP Biology classes. Many of my former students have become doctors, engineers, and scientists. In my career, there is no student that I would recommend more highly than Matthew Yao. The most gifted critical thinker, the most motivated learner, and the best oral and written communicator I’ve ever worked with, Matthew Yao is simply extraordinary. Regardless of his intellectual genius, he has an easy-going and genuine personality. His teachers, coaches, mentors, and peers alike, adore him."
Will Clausen

CEO, Cartogram

"Here at Cartogram, we hire a high school student or two every summer as an intern to give them an experience in what computer science looks like in the real world. We've been doing this for nearly ten years, and in that time, only one has finished the project we've assigned to them over the summer: Matthew. I've seen Matthew work. I've seen what he outputs. I have no doubt he'll change the world one day, or be the next Steve Jobs."
Professor Xiaojun Bi

Associate Professor of Comptuer Science, Stony Brook University

"In all my years of teaching and researching, I've never met anyone as passionate about HCI and assistive tech as Matthew. He's extremely talented and very creative. I want to say that I know he'll be solving the world's biggest problems, but he already is, as a HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT. Truly, Matthew is one of the most amazing people I've ever met."
Rohan Kalahasty

CEO, Vytal AI

"Matthew is the most wonderful person to work with. He's incredibly skilled at creating—simply put—sexy websites. Matthew is like a swiss pocket knife—he's good at doing everything. I've seen him debug complex machine learning models and convoluted cloud server hosting in record time. He's extremely passionate and dedicated, awesome to be around, and always gets work done. I can't recommend Matthew enough."
Korrie Beemer

AP Biology Teacher

"In my twenty-one years of teaching, I have taught hundreds of students in my AP Biology classes. Many of my former students have become doctors, engineers, and scientists. In my career, there is no student that I would recommend more highly than Matthew Yao. The most gifted critical thinker, the most motivated learner, and the best oral and written communicator I’ve ever worked with, Matthew Yao is simply extraordinary. Regardless of his intellectual genius, he has an easy-going and genuine personality. His teachers, coaches, mentors, and peers alike, adore him."
Will Clausen

CEO, Cartogram

"Here at Cartogram, we hire a high school student or two every summer as an intern to give them an experience in what computer science looks like in the real world. We've been doing this for nearly ten years, and in that time, only one has finished the project we've assigned to them over the summer: Matthew. I've seen Matthew work. I've seen what he outputs. I have no doubt he'll change the world one day, or be the next Steve Jobs."
Professor Xiaojun Bi

Associate Professor of Comptuer Science, Stony Brook University

"In all my years of teaching and researching, I've never met anyone as passionate about HCI and assistive tech as Matthew. He's extremely talented and very creative. I want to say that I know he'll be solving the world's biggest problems, but he already is, as a HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT. Truly, Matthew is one of the most amazing people I've ever met."
Rohan Kalahasty

CEO, Vytal AI

"Matthew is the most wonderful person to work with. He's incredibly skilled at creating—simply put—sexy websites. Matthew is like a swiss pocket knife—he's good at doing everything. I've seen him debug complex machine learning models and convoluted cloud server hosting in record time. He's extremely passionate and dedicated, awesome to be around, and always gets work done. I can't recommend Matthew enough."
Korrie Beemer

AP Biology Teacher

"In my twenty-one years of teaching, I have taught hundreds of students in my AP Biology classes. Many of my former students have become doctors, engineers, and scientists. In my career, there is no student that I would recommend more highly than Matthew Yao. The most gifted critical thinker, the most motivated learner, and the best oral and written communicator I’ve ever worked with, Matthew Yao is simply extraordinary. Regardless of his intellectual genius, he has an easy-going and genuine personality. His teachers, coaches, mentors, and peers alike, adore him."
Will Clausen

CEO, Cartogram

"Here at Cartogram, we hire a high school student or two every summer as an intern to give them an experience in what computer science looks like in the real world. We've been doing this for nearly ten years, and in that time, only one has finished the project we've assigned to them over the summer: Matthew. I've seen Matthew work. I've seen what he outputs. I have no doubt he'll change the world one day, or be the next Steve Jobs."

Professor Xiaojun Bi

Associate Professor of Comptuer Science, Stony Brook University

"In all my years of teaching and researching, I've never met anyone as passionate about HCI and assistive tech as Matthew. He's extremely talented and very creative. I want to say that I know he'll be solving the world's biggest problems, but he already is, as a HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT. Truly, Matthew is one of the most amazing people I've ever met."
Rohan Kalahasty

CEO, Vytal AI

"Matthew is the most wonderful person to work with. He's incredibly skilled at creating—simply put—sexy websites. Matthew is like a swiss pocket knife—he's good at doing everything. I've seen him debug complex machine learning models and convoluted cloud server hosting in record time. He's extremely passionate and dedicated, awesome to be around, and always gets work done. I can't recommend Matthew enough."
Korrie Beemer

AP Biology Teacher

"In my twenty-one years of teaching, I have taught hundreds of students in my AP Biology classes. Many of my former students have become doctors, engineers, and scientists. In my career, there is no student that I would recommend more highly than Matthew Yao. The most gifted critical thinker, the most motivated learner, and the best oral and written communicator I’ve ever worked with, Matthew Yao is simply extraordinary. Regardless of his intellectual genius, he has an easy-going and genuine personality. His teachers, coaches, mentors, and peers alike, adore him."
Will Clausen

CEO, Cartogram

"Here at Cartogram, we hire a high school student or two every summer as an intern to give them an experience in what computer science looks like in the real world. We've been doing this for nearly ten years, and in that time, only one has finished the project we've assigned to them over the summer: Matthew. I've seen Matthew work. I've seen what he outputs. I have no doubt he'll change the world one day, or be the next Steve Jobs."
Professor Xiaojun Bi

Associate Professor of Comptuer Science, Stony Brook University

"In all my years of teaching and researching, I've never met anyone as passionate about HCI and assistive tech as Matthew. He's extremely talented and very creative. I want to say that I know he'll be solving the world's biggest problems, but he already is, as a HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT. Truly, Matthew is one of the most amazing people I've ever met."
Rohan Kalahasty

CEO, Vytal AI

"Matthew is the most wonderful person to work with. He's incredibly skilled at creating—simply put—sexy websites. Matthew is like a swiss pocket knife—he's good at doing everything. I've seen him debug complex machine learning models and convoluted cloud server hosting in record time. He's extremely passionate and dedicated, awesome to be around, and always gets work done. I can't recommend Matthew enough."
Korrie Beemer

AP Biology Teacher

"In my twenty-one years of teaching, I have taught hundreds of students in my AP Biology classes. Many of my former students have become doctors, engineers, and scientists. In my career, there is no student that I would recommend more highly than Matthew Yao. The most gifted critical thinker, the most motivated learner, and the best oral and written communicator I’ve ever worked with, Matthew Yao is simply extraordinary. Regardless of his intellectual genius, he has an easy-going and genuine personality. His teachers, coaches, mentors, and peers alike, adore him."
Will Clausen

CEO, Cartogram

"Here at Cartogram, we hire a high school student or two every summer as an intern to give them an experience in what computer science looks like in the real world. We've been doing this for nearly ten years, and in that time, only one has finished the project we've assigned to them over the summer: Matthew. I've seen Matthew work. I've seen what he outputs. I have no doubt he'll change the world one day, or be the next Steve Jobs."
Professor Xiaojun Bi

Associate Professor of Comptuer Science, Stony Brook University

"In all my years of teaching and researching, I've never met anyone as passionate about HCI and assistive tech as Matthew. He's extremely talented and very creative. I want to say that I know he'll be solving the world's biggest problems, but he already is, as a HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT. Truly, Matthew is one of the most amazing people I've ever met."
Rohan Kalahasty

CEO, Vytal AI

"Matthew is the most wonderful person to work with. He's incredibly skilled at creating—simply put—sexy websites. Matthew is like a swiss pocket knife—he's good at doing everything. I've seen him debug complex machine learning models and convoluted cloud server hosting in record time. He's extremely passionate and dedicated, awesome to be around, and always gets work done. I can't recommend Matthew enough."
Korrie Beemer

AP Biology Teacher

"In my twenty-one years of teaching, I have taught hundreds of students in my AP Biology classes. Many of my former students have become doctors, engineers, and scientists. In my career, there is no student that I would recommend more highly than Matthew Yao. The most gifted critical thinker, the most motivated learner, and the best oral and written communicator I’ve ever worked with, Matthew Yao is simply extraordinary. Regardless of his intellectual genius, he has an easy-going and genuine personality. His teachers, coaches, mentors, and peers alike, adore him."
Will Clausen

CEO, Cartogram

"Here at Cartogram, we hire a high school student or two every summer as an intern to give them an experience in what computer science looks like in the real world. We've been doing this for nearly ten years, and in that time, only one has finished the project we've assigned to them over the summer: Matthew. I've seen Matthew work. I've seen what he outputs. I have no doubt he'll change the world one day, or be the next Steve Jobs."
Professor Xiaojun Bi

Associate Professor of Comptuer Science, Stony Brook University

"In all my years of teaching and researching, I've never met anyone as passionate about HCI and assistive tech as Matthew. He's extremely talented and very creative. I want to say that I know he'll be solving the world's biggest problems, but he already is, as a HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT. Truly, Matthew is one of the most amazing people I've ever met."
Rohan Kalahasty

CEO, Vytal AI

"Matthew is the most wonderful person to work with. He's incredibly skilled at creating—simply put—sexy websites. Matthew is like a swiss pocket knife—he's good at doing everything. I've seen him debug complex machine learning models and convoluted cloud server hosting in record time. He's extremely passionate and dedicated, awesome to be around, and always gets work done. I can't recommend Matthew enough."
Korrie Beemer

AP Biology Teacher

"In my twenty-one years of teaching, I have taught hundreds of students in my AP Biology classes. Many of my former students have become doctors, engineers, and scientists. In my career, there is no student that I would recommend more highly than Matthew Yao. The most gifted critical thinker, the most motivated learner, and the best oral and written communicator I’ve ever worked with, Matthew Yao is simply extraordinary. Regardless of his intellectual genius, he has an easy-going and genuine personality. His teachers, coaches, mentors, and peers alike, adore him."
Will Clausen

CEO, Cartogram

"Here at Cartogram, we hire a high school student or two every summer as an intern to give them an experience in what computer science looks like in the real world. We've been doing this for nearly ten years, and in that time, only one has finished the project we've assigned to them over the summer: Matthew. I've seen Matthew work. I've seen what he outputs. I have no doubt he'll change the world one day, or be the next Steve Jobs."

Professor Xiaojun Bi

Associate Professor of Comptuer Science, Stony Brook University

"In all my years of teaching and researching, I've never met anyone as passionate about HCI and assistive tech as Matthew. He's extremely talented and very creative. I want to say that I know he'll be solving the world's biggest problems, but he already is, as a HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT. Truly, Matthew is one of the most amazing people I've ever met."
Rohan Kalahasty

CEO, Vytal AI

"Matthew is the most wonderful person to work with. He's incredibly skilled at creating—simply put—sexy websites. Matthew is like a swiss pocket knife—he's good at doing everything. I've seen him debug complex machine learning models and convoluted cloud server hosting in record time. He's extremely passionate and dedicated, awesome to be around, and always gets work done. I can't recommend Matthew enough."
Korrie Beemer

AP Biology Teacher

"In my twenty-one years of teaching, I have taught hundreds of students in my AP Biology classes. Many of my former students have become doctors, engineers, and scientists. In my career, there is no student that I would recommend more highly than Matthew Yao. The most gifted critical thinker, the most motivated learner, and the best oral and written communicator I’ve ever worked with, Matthew Yao is simply extraordinary. Regardless of his intellectual genius, he has an easy-going and genuine personality. His teachers, coaches, mentors, and peers alike, adore him."
Will Clausen

CEO, Cartogram

"Here at Cartogram, we hire a high school student or two every summer as an intern to give them an experience in what computer science looks like in the real world. We've been doing this for nearly ten years, and in that time, only one has finished the project we've assigned to them over the summer: Matthew. I've seen Matthew work. I've seen what he outputs. I have no doubt he'll change the world one day, or be the next Steve Jobs."
Professor Xiaojun Bi

Associate Professor of Comptuer Science, Stony Brook University

"In all my years of teaching and researching, I've never met anyone as passionate about HCI and assistive tech as Matthew. He's extremely talented and very creative. I want to say that I know he'll be solving the world's biggest problems, but he already is, as a HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT. Truly, Matthew is one of the most amazing people I've ever met."
Rohan Kalahasty

CEO, Vytal AI

"Matthew is the most wonderful person to work with. He's incredibly skilled at creating—simply put—sexy websites. Matthew is like a swiss pocket knife—he's good at doing everything. I've seen him debug complex machine learning models and convoluted cloud server hosting in record time. He's extremely passionate and dedicated, awesome to be around, and always gets work done. I can't recommend Matthew enough."
Korrie Beemer

AP Biology Teacher

"In my twenty-one years of teaching, I have taught hundreds of students in my AP Biology classes. Many of my former students have become doctors, engineers, and scientists. In my career, there is no student that I would recommend more highly than Matthew Yao. The most gifted critical thinker, the most motivated learner, and the best oral and written communicator I’ve ever worked with, Matthew Yao is simply extraordinary. Regardless of his intellectual genius, he has an easy-going and genuine personality. His teachers, coaches, mentors, and peers alike, adore him."
Will Clausen

CEO, Cartogram

"Here at Cartogram, we hire a high school student or two every summer as an intern to give them an experience in what computer science looks like in the real world. We've been doing this for nearly ten years, and in that time, only one has finished the project we've assigned to them over the summer: Matthew. I've seen Matthew work. I've seen what he outputs. I have no doubt he'll change the world one day, or be the next Steve Jobs."
Professor Xiaojun Bi

Associate Professor of Comptuer Science, Stony Brook University

"In all my years of teaching and researching, I've never met anyone as passionate about HCI and assistive tech as Matthew. He's extremely talented and very creative. I want to say that I know he'll be solving the world's biggest problems, but he already is, as a HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT. Truly, Matthew is one of the most amazing people I've ever met."
Rohan Kalahasty

CEO, Vytal AI

"Matthew is the most wonderful person to work with. He's incredibly skilled at creating—simply put—sexy websites. Matthew is like a swiss pocket knife—he's good at doing everything. I've seen him debug complex machine learning models and convoluted cloud server hosting in record time. He's extremely passionate and dedicated, awesome to be around, and always gets work done. I can't recommend Matthew enough."
Korrie Beemer

AP Biology Teacher

"In my twenty-one years of teaching, I have taught hundreds of students in my AP Biology classes. Many of my former students have become doctors, engineers, and scientists. In my career, there is no student that I would recommend more highly than Matthew Yao. The most gifted critical thinker, the most motivated learner, and the best oral and written communicator I’ve ever worked with, Matthew Yao is simply extraordinary. Regardless of his intellectual genius, he has an easy-going and genuine personality. His teachers, coaches, mentors, and peers alike, adore him."
Will Clausen

CEO, Cartogram

"Here at Cartogram, we hire a high school student or two every summer as an intern to give them an experience in what computer science looks like in the real world. We've been doing this for nearly ten years, and in that time, only one has finished the project we've assigned to them over the summer: Matthew. I've seen Matthew work. I've seen what he outputs. I have no doubt he'll change the world one day, or be the next Steve Jobs."
Professor Xiaojun Bi

Associate Professor of Comptuer Science, Stony Brook University

"In all my years of teaching and researching, I've never met anyone as passionate about HCI and assistive tech as Matthew. He's extremely talented and very creative. I want to say that I know he'll be solving the world's biggest problems, but he already is, as a HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT. Truly, Matthew is one of the most amazing people I've ever met."
Rohan Kalahasty

CEO, Vytal AI

"Matthew is the most wonderful person to work with. He's incredibly skilled at creating—simply put—sexy websites. Matthew is like a swiss pocket knife—he's good at doing everything. I've seen him debug complex machine learning models and convoluted cloud server hosting in record time. He's extremely passionate and dedicated, awesome to be around, and always gets work done. I can't recommend Matthew enough."
Korrie Beemer

AP Biology Teacher

"In my twenty-one years of teaching, I have taught hundreds of students in my AP Biology classes. Many of my former students have become doctors, engineers, and scientists. In my career, there is no student that I would recommend more highly than Matthew Yao. The most gifted critical thinker, the most motivated learner, and the best oral and written communicator I’ve ever worked with, Matthew Yao is simply extraordinary. Regardless of his intellectual genius, he has an easy-going and genuine personality. His teachers, coaches, mentors, and peers alike, adore him."
Will Clausen

CEO, Cartogram

"Here at Cartogram, we hire a high school student or two every summer as an intern to give them an experience in what computer science looks like in the real world. We've been doing this for nearly ten years, and in that time, only one has finished the project we've assigned to them over the summer: Matthew. I've seen Matthew work. I've seen what he outputs. I have no doubt he'll change the world one day, or be the next Steve Jobs."