Expert Details

Futurism, Innovation, Wearables, Food, Displays, IoT, Connected Home, Smart Home, Smart City, Augmented Reality

ID: 735432 New York, USA

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Expert is an award-winning futurist, inventor and artist who runs a futurist factory+lab in NYC. His work investigates the human body as a medium for computation, new materials as a tool to embody interactions and design as a vehicle for mindfulness. Past inventions include the Radical Kitchen: a collaborative cooking system that helps people create meals together even when they’re apart. It is a collection of augmented kitchen tools, surfaces, and computational representation of meals. Others include bio reactive architecture, elastic computer screens, shape changing gadgets, shoes that tickle and guide, alcohol aware ice cubes, synthetic muscles, programmable hair, emotionally intelligent flowers, sensory apparatus for music learning and educational toys from eWaste, optically invisible fiber-optics among others. Recent exhibitions at the V&A, Tokyo Design Week, MIT Museum, recognized twice in the Forbes ‘30 Under 30’ list in the 'Design' and 'Manufacturing and Industry' category, WIRED Innovation Fellow, INK Fellow, FoST Fellow, ELLE’s ‘Names to know in 2015’, VOGUE’s ‘Cool People’ list, Globe’s ‘Top 25 Innovators’ list. Recent speaking engagements include the 2019 Smart Kitchen Summit. Expert serves on the advisory board of the XPRIZE Foundation, and is a member of the W3C standards committee. Previously a futurist at Concept Lab, researcher at MIT Media Lab, toy designer in Singapore, sensory researcher in Tokyo, born in Nasik. MIT and Harvard alumnus.

Highlights:
Lead team at Amazon’s secretive Concept Lab, responsible for Alexa Echo devices
Key inventor at MIT Media Lab responsible for AI, AR and wearable efforts
Three TED talks, Forbes, WIRED, ELLE, VOGUE, Smithsonian Awards

Education

Year Degree Subject Institution
Year: 2012 Degree: Masters in Science Subject: Media Arts and Science / MIT Media Lab Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Year: 2010 Degree: Bachelors of Technology Subject: Computer Science (Minors in Interaction Design) Institution: Victoria Jubilee Technological Institute
Year: 2008 Degree: NA Subject: ICTD and Computer Networks Institution: Microsoft Research

Work History

Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2016 to 2019 Employer: (Undisclosed) Title: Principal Department:
Responsibilities:
Futurist factory X lab creating new science, experiences and design
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2016 to Present Employer: Undisclosed Title: Adviser Department:
Responsibilities:
Scientific adviser to the foundation for new prize creation and evaluation
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2017 to 2018 Employer: NEW Museum, NYC Title: Artist-in-residence Department:
Responsibilities:
One year residency to support creation of new work
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2014 to 2016 Employer: Concept Lab, Seattle Title: Researcher + Designer Department:
Responsibilities:
Rethinking, building and designing everyday experiences for a future of 3-5 years from now
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2014 to 2015 Employer: Art Institute of Seattle Title: Visiting Lecturer Department:
Responsibilities:
Teaching courses on experience and interaction design
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2013 to 2014 Employer: Fluid Interfaces Group, MIT Media Lab Title: Researcher Department:
Responsibilities:
Working on wearables, shape changing displays, learning across distances, tools for cultural exchange.
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2013 to 2015 Employer: MIT Media Lab Initiatives Title: Founding Director Department:
Responsibilities:
Overlooking the activities of MIT Media Lab Initiatives, building connections, fundraising
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2014 to 2014 Employer: Rekimoto Lab, University of Tokyo Title: Visiting Researcher Department:
Responsibilities:
Working on augmenting senses
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2013 to 2013 Employer: EXPEC-ARC, Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia Title: Amateur Geologist Department:
Responsibilities:
Developed new concept ‘MediumX’ – smarter tools for geologist
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2013 to 2013 Employer: Fabrication in China, Shenzhen Title: Fellow Department:
Responsibilities:
Traveled extensively in Shenzhen, learnt industrial fabrication at scale,
designing for scale, logistics, business practices
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2012 to 2013 Employer: Information Ecology Group, MIT Media Lab Title: Researcher Department:
Responsibilities:
Worked on sensory augmentation, learning, wearables
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2010 to 2012 Employer: Keio – NUS CUTE Center + Mixed Reality Lab, Singapore + Tokyo Title: Researcher Department:
Responsibilities:
Created open source toys made from eWaste and emotionally intelligent robots
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2010 to 2010 Employer: Play and Learn Lab, Industrial Design Center Title: Research Associate Department:
Responsibilities:
Created new devices for kids with cerebral palsy
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2010 to 2010 Employer: Open Culture Research Group, EYEBEAM, New York Title: Research and Development Int Department:
Responsibilities:
Designed cultural installations
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2008 to 2010 Employer: (Undisclosed) Title: Co-founder Department:
Responsibilities:
mGovernance startup serving rural India, user-base of 400k when sold
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2010 to 2010 Employer: Physical Computing Lab, Industrial Design Center Title: Research Assistant Department:
Responsibilities:
Created interactive learning aids for kids
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2009 to 2009 Employer: Berkman Center for Internet and Society, Harvard University Title: Research Intern Department:
Responsibilities:
Created tools to study the effect of the Internet on democracy
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2008 to 2008 Employer: Google Title: Contract Developer Department:
Responsibilities:
Created extensions and libraries for abstracting maps

Career Accomplishments

Awards / Recognition
Forbes 30 under 30: Manufacturing and Energy
Forbes 30 under 30: Design
ELLE 20 names to know
Vogue Cool People
Future of Storytelling Fellow
WIRED Innovation Fellow: Innovators that'll have a significant impact on the world
INK Fellow: Young, global and cross-disciplinary path-breakers
The Smithsonian Top 20 designs globally nominated for the People's Choice
Globe Top 25 innovators
Most Contagious Ones to watch in Technology
IBM’s The Great Mind Challenge Top 20 out of 13,000
Texas Instruments International Design Challenge 1st Prize
Technomania Best Exhibit, Award for Innovation
Publications and Patents Summary
Publications: 9
Media: Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Verge, Creators Project, WIRED, Vogue, ELLE, Globe, Fast Company, Popular Science, NPR, The Atlantic, MIT Tech Review, TIME Magazine, TNW, Discovery, Times, MAKE and others

Fields of Expertise

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