Hunaid Abid Nagaria

A product visualisation of the wearable controller, Midas, with objects floating around it.

Hunaid Nagaria is a mechanical engineer, designer, and illustrator from Mumbai, India, now based in London. His practice is primarily informed by conversations and his curiosities, which lie at the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction, industrial, and visual design. Much of his work focuses on how technology mediates the relationship between people and their motivations. The challenges that excite Hunaid the most are where his contributions aren't limited to a singular discipline.

Awards and Recognition

Industrial Design Studentship awarded by The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851.

Winner in the Connecting Category for Interaction Awards 2023 for Jammies.

Winner in the Environment Category for London Mayor's Entrepreneurship Challenge 2023 for Guerrilla.

Exhibited work at Tate Britain in the shortlist for the 'Finding Home' Open Call 2021.

Secured an 'All India Rank 1' in the Graduate Entrance Exam for the National Institute of Design India (Graphic Design) 2020.

Experience

Cofounder :: Guerrilla.Co (2023)

Visiting Tutor :: Somaiya School of Design, Mumbai (2023)

Design Engineering Intern :: TG0 (2022)

Design Research Intern :: Interaction Foundry, Imperial College London (2021)

UI/UX Designer and Illustrator :: BRND Studio (2020-2021)

Education

MA+MSc Innovation Design Engineering:: Royal College of Art and Imperial College London (2021-2023)

Bachelor of Technology, Mechanical Engineering :: University of Mumbai (2016-2020)

Hunaid sitting on a chair in front of a solid background wearing a white tshirt.

At IDE, I have strived to challenge myself by building a broad and diverse body of work. Having created interfaces for the future of human-food interaction, recreation-facilitating products for individuals with motor and cognitive disabilities, and interventions to tackle urban environmental challenges, multidisciplinarity and creative experimentation have become intrinsic to my practice.

Furthering these experiences, I aim to explore the relationship between life and technology and help teams realise their vision in the capacity of a designer, engineer, and collaborator. With accessibility in focus, I want my work to facilitate improvement in daily living, quality of life, and care.

Synopsis

Midas is a wearable adaptive controller designed for gamers living with muscular weakness, which can turn any object/surface touched into a control interface.

20% of the 260 billion gamers worldwide identify as having a disability. This group of disabled gamers— especially those living with muscle-weakening conditions like muscular dystrophy—views gaming as an essential tool for personal development, social engagement, and cultural participation. However, the gaming industry has historically prioritised controller innovation over controller accessibility, overlooking the needs of a fifth of the gaming community.

This project proposes Midas, a wearable adaptive controller designed for gamers living with muscular weakness, which can turn any object/surface touched into a control interface. Midas is the result of experimentation with e-textiles, and a codesign process with gamers living with Muscular Dystrophy. Using fabric-based force sensors, it enables gamers to use any object ergonomic for them as a controller, facilitating a physically sustainable gaming experience and catering to the unique nature of an individual’s disability.

Beyond Muscular Dystrophy, Midas aims to augment computing for those living with numerous conditions that lead to muscle weakness and tremors and further the discourse around innovation at the intersection of recreation, accessibility, and computing.

Acknowledgments : :

Collaborators - Vivek Gohil, Grant Stoner, John Willis, Ruud Van Der Waal, Katharina Kauruff, and Dr Rebecca Stewart

Organisations - NMA Gaming, Papworth Trust Center, Muscular Dystrophy UK, e-body Lab (Imperial College London)

MIDAS : : Adaptive Gaming Controller for Muscle Weakness

A works-like prototype of Midas in use. The device through force feedback calibrated to an individuals unique strength profile, can turn any interface into a controller.