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Interaction Prototyping
Rapid prototyping of interactive systems, from paper to functional hardware.
Designing Interactions for Emerging Technologies
Karyafe Lab is a design research laboratory at the Department of Design, IIT Kanpur, led by Prof. Ashish Kumar Singh. The lab explores human interaction with emerging technologies through design research, experimentation and prototyping.
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About Karyafe Lab
Karyafe Lab is a research environment within the Department of Design at IIT Kanpur, led by Prof. Ashish Kumar Singh. The lab investigates how design can shape interactions between people, physical environments and emerging technologies.
We work at the intersection of design research, human-centred interaction and experimental prototyping — moving fluidly between physical and digital experiences to study how emerging technologies become part of everyday life.
Get to know us
Research Areas
- Human–Technology InteractionStudying how people perceive, learn and adapt to emerging interactive systems in everyday contexts.Explore
- Tangible & Embodied InterfacesDesigning physical, spatial and embodied interactions that connect digital behaviour to material form.Explore
- XR & Spatial ComputingInvestigating augmented and mixed reality as a medium for situated, immersive experiences.Explore
- Design for Emerging TechnologiesExploring AI, sensing and computation as design materials through critical, human-centred inquiry.Explore
Publications, Patents & Exhibitions
- Calm Tangibles: A Vocabulary for Peripheral Physical FeedbackACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)
- Spatial Anchoring for Guidance in Hands-on TasksACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST)
- Fabricated InterfacesIndia Design Biennale
- System for Responsive Architectural SurfacesIndian Patent Office (filed)
- Best Design Research — Responsive EnvironmentsNational Design Research Forum
- Designing with Emerging Technologies as MaterialInternational Journal of Design
The People
Prof. Ashish Kumar Singh
Assistant Professor
Department of Design
IIT Kanpur
Prof. Ashish Kumar Singh leads Karyafe Lab’s research into human interaction with emerging technologies, guiding work that spans tangible interfaces, spatial computing and design-led inquiry into new technological materials.
ashishks@iitk.ac.inResearch Scholars
Ananya Rao
Tangible Interfaces
Rohit Menon
XR & Spatial Computing
PhD Students
Sneha Iyer
Human–Technology Interaction
Kabir Nair
Physical Computing
M.Des Students
Priya Sharma
Interaction Prototyping
Arjun Verma
Digital Fabrication
Meera Das
Experimental Interfaces
Collaborators & Alumni
Dr. Leena Kapoor
Cognitive Science
Vikram Shah
AI & Emerging Tech
Research Environment
From the Lab
Let’s explore what comes next.
Karyafe Lab
Department of Design
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
Prof. Ashish Kumar Singh
Assistant Professor
Department of Design
IIT Kanpur