Ben has always been fascinated by the way technology could be used to create an environment or tell a story. He was attracted to Carnegie Mellon University for his undergraduate work because of its strong programs in both drama and computer science. Initially studying drama, Ben graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor’s in Computer Science. As an undergrad he spent three years working with the Stage3 Research Group on both educational and entertaining technologies such as the Alice 3D graphic system for teaching programming, virtual reality, and real-time optical motion capture. Now, at the Entertainment Technology Center Ben finds the most rewarding experience to be using his technical skills, working alongside artists, to build things that will entertain kids by combining technologies in interesting ways. Animateering, the first ETC project he worked on, is a virtual puppeteering kiosk originally developed for the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, and is now also installed at the Give Kids the World Village. Next, Ben was involved with the ORB Initiative to add interactivity and game-like fun to the portable, inflatable domes that NASA and several science museums bring to schools to teach kids about the Earth. Now working with the Worlds Fair for Kids and Quasi, Ben hopes to work with a whole new set of devices and gadgets and instill them with life to fill kids with the wonders of the world around them.

Andrew Hosmer's interests led him to the city of Pittsburgh where he attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. His field of study was Industrial Design with a focus in Creature/Character Special Effects. After graduating, he began working for Henderson Design and Productions on a new video series for the Kentucky based Answers In Genesis. His tasks on the production focused on the animatronic dinosaur Proto, as well as assistance in script writing, acting, and general production work. Once the project had wrapped up, he began other animatronics work for other Pittsburgh based companies and schools. He returned to the Art Institute of Pittsburgh to finish up his undergraduate degree and as his thesis, created an animatronc gorilla head for the school. Shortly after, Andrew was contacted by Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center where he joined a group of five students set on the idea of creating a fun interactive character. Andrew's previous experience helped him design, fabricate, and assemble the mechanics of this new animatronic character, Quasi. Andrew decided to enroll in the Entertainment Technology program and since then has been on the team that created the second iteration of Quasi the robot. Andrew is one of the active members in the newly formed Interbots company and is excited to see what the future holds for himself and for Quasi.

Tim, a native of the Pittsburgh area, comes from a background in Computer Science from Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania. While his coursework through college had all been in the technology realm, he had interests in many other areas including 3D modeling, animation, and most notably producing. After graduating from Gannon University, he was accepted into an internship program at Electronic Arts in Redwood city, CA working as a production intern on one of their “Sims” products, before going on to graduate school at the Entertainment Technology Center. Once at the ETC, Tim continued his pursuit of both modeling and production knowledge. Upon the approach of his second semester, he became involved in a group project in association with Give Kids the World, in which he helped create a 6 minute animated film over the course of the semester. Finally, most recently he participated in an internship at Shaba Games, a subsidiary of Activision, as a production coordinator/game designer. This semester he hopes to be involved in bringing many technologies to the World's Fair for Kids including perhaps audience interaction pieces, Jam-O-Drum worlds, and content creation using Quasi. While he still has a year of graduate school to complete before venturing into a career, his current plans are to continue on into the games industry in a role most likely as an associate producer.

Lenny Larsen is a Carnegie-Mellon undergraduate student pursuing a custom degree in Themed Environment Design. With a background in theatrical design and production, Lenny has been creating immersive entertainment experiences for nearly eight years. His diverse portfolio includes everything from professional and educational theatre, to large-scale events and conceptual work for themed entertainment. He has worked with the Walt Disney Company in one capacity or another for the last five years, beginning as a performer and most recently as a lead scenic artist for a new attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. As the newest member of the Interbots team, Lenny looks forward to the challenge of developing interactive experiences for the World Fair for Kids and furthering Quasi’s inherent theatrical potential.

Dan was born in Washington D.C. and grew up right outside the city in the quaint suburb of Fort Washington MD. His passion for visual mediums developed in high school through his video and photography classes. Whether making films with friends or running around town Dan could usually be found sticking a camera in someone's face. It was in college that he began exploring digital media and interactive narrative, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Cinema and Photography from Ithaca College in 1999. With a solemn vow to his new love the computer Dan decided to sit behind one for the next few years as a Multimedia Designer/Developer. Dan moved to Pittsburgh in the summer of 2004 to join the ETC with the hopes of moving his interactive expertise away from the 2D world of the screen and into physical space. At the ETC Dan worked with a group of students to create an interactive theater experience for Give Kids the World in Orlando Florida. Excited to move into the fields of location-based entertainment/edutainment, Dan looks forward to working with the Quasi Team and the Worlds Fair for Kids to create an engaging and entertaining experience.

Jim Valenti is a native Pittsburgher who, from his earliest memories, has always been interested in taking things apart to see how they work. In second grade he began to play musical instruments. His first was the violin and then he began to learn piano, clarinet, saxophone and bass. In college he majored in Electrical Engineering but also took many classes in musical composition and Computer Science. After being in the real world, he returned to college to study computer science. Working as an Audio engineer, he discovered the ETC. After graduation, he hopes to be able to continue to work on projects like Quasi that combine both art and science.