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.
Dand was born in Nasik in a interfaith multilingual family: his father was a Kutchi Jain, while his mother belonged to the Marathi Saraswat community.
His father, a plumber by profession, did not complete high school, while his mother worked as a Sanskrit teacher in Mumbai before the family moved to Nasik.
Dand later lived in Singapore, Phnom Penh, Tokyo, and London before moving to the United States to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
[6][7][8] Dand's inventions include sensorial interfaces, smart devices, display technologies, Alexa, social systems, prosthesis, bio-based architecture, educational toys, and emotional robots.
The insoles provide navigation and reminders and promote taking mindful breaks and discovering new places in a city.
[14][15][16][17][18] While in Seattle, Dand was part of Amazon's secretive Concept Lab, where he is credited for key inventions such as Alexa devices.
[24] Dand's ThinkerToys are modular educational toys made from e-waste which later led to an NGO called openTOYS.