Together, we design the future.
Processing power and the ubiquitous availability of data have made AI and Machine Learning an increasingly large part of even the most mundane products and services. But with such great power comes… well, you know the rest.
MET.IO is an AI powered fashion forecaster that predicts global consumer buying patterns enabling fashion companies to reduce unsold stock and increase revenue through enhanced relevancy.
From Augmented to fully Virtual, the lines of our Reality are starting to blur. What new interactions will this technology make possible, as we trade our screen time for "seen time"?
CommuniSense is a platform that includes community members in the process of collecting data in the public realm.
An interactive installation that humanizes data collected in public space.
White Fang is an AR-based game that visualizes home energy usage to prompt more efficient behavior.
Marelai is an augmented reality (AR) application that contextualizes a patient's medical and personal history in order to quickly build empathy between patient and doctor.
Decentralized technologies and open protocols are redefining approaches to traditionally centralized social systems—working toward data sovereignty, participatory governance, inclusive economies, and open markets. We’re designing new solutions for generating, owning, accessing, sharing, and transacting everything from data to money to goods.
BlokMotiv is a blockchain parts-identity system that links physical components with digital records to secure the automotive supply chain.
A crypto-based prize linked savings pool that incentivizes savings behavior by creating lotteries no one loses.
Grounded is an earthquake insurance platform, built on distributed architecture, that leverages Augur prediction markets to provide insurance to homeowners.
Offset is a distributed market for catastrophe bonds, democratizing the asset class for retail investors and homeowners.
Feet on Fete is a blockchain based ticketing platforms that reduces the risk of ticket fraud by making each ticket a unique token.
Let’s dive deep into the wondrous world of the really tiny in order to solve big problems. Quantum computing harnesses and exploits the amazing laws of quantum mechanics to process information, enabling us to more closely model the interactions of the natural world. We’re looking at what Quantum can do for design, and vice versa.
A card-based exploratory mapping tool of possible future technologies and timelines using quantum computing and mechanics.
The nature of work is fundamentally changing. Emerging technologies are creating new roles for humans and machines—and a new class of gig economy workers who are reinventing the relationship between employer and employee. What new tools and systems might we design?
Parachute is a support system to help late-career professionals who have lost their jobs navigate the transition back to normalcy.
SkillStack is an automated resume builder that compiles relevant information and pulls it into a digital hiring platform.
An internal platform for employees to explore different roles within their company, promoting upskilling and employee retention.
Gild is a credit card rewards system that helps users choose the best health insurance and pay for a reduced premium plan.
Stretch is a company-managed platform that utilizes existing professional and personal information to identify internal growth opportunities that align with employee interests and company strategy.
A tool that allows employers and employees to build better teams by incorporating interests, skills, and project history into employee profiles.
End Grain is an online tool that helps organizations assess and address diversity gaps on their boards of directors, strengthening their governance team.
Extreme weather caused more than $100bn worth of damage in 2019 alone, and it’s become clear that business can’t continue as usual. In spite of this, climate change highlights an amazing set of design opportunities for the near and far future.
White Fang is an AR-based game that visualizes home energy usage to prompt more efficient behavior.
Reimagining water as a circular resource for communities: fostering community, resilience, and regenerative ecosystems
EcoWays is an environmental integration for your transit app. It raises awareness of the impact of everyday transport decisions on personal and community health.
Offset is a distributed market for catastrophe bonds, democratizing the asset class for retail investors and homeowners.
In a circular economy, products, services, value chains, and behaviors mitigate climate change and provide shared value for society and the environment. Building this future will require unprecedented collaboration, leveraging design, emerging technologies, and systems practice to build a new and regenerative economic model.
Rencontrés is an AI based matchmaking platform for unsold stock that uses dynamic, hyper-targeted online pop-up stores to reach niche segments while maintaining brand value.
Stitch is a multi-brand digital wardrobe platform that provides outfit recommendations and circular services to users, generating usage data and insights for brands.
Re-val is a dynamic price-setting tool powering apparel resale marketplaces that enables transparent pricing for resellers and simplifies consumer research.
PSitivity is a business system that incentivises chemical recycling of polystyrene (PS) yoghurt cups through value chain collaboration.
Temptainer a is modular food storage system that extends the life of foods and encourages sharing, healthy eating, and reducing food waste.
Naked Packaging is a reusable product collation system that keeps products naked until the end destination is known, eliminating unnecessary secondary packaging.
Aligning incentives for farmers, retailers, and eaters to promote soil-positive practices
A platform for strategic, transparent information sharing to reduce food loss between farmers and retailers.
Cities face a growing tension: balancing what technology makes possible with what people actually want and need. We believe real, lasting solutions will involve more than just technology—and will require collaboration between many different stakeholders to be made successful.
A future concept for 311 in Boston that empowers residents to champion solutions to complex challenges.
CommuniSense is a platform that includes community members in the process of collecting data in the public realm.
Yolk is a multi-modal transportation solution that lowers barriers to access new modes of transportation, consolidating accounts and payment.
Neighborgood is a suite of tools for turning friction in the real-estate development process into value for the community.
Whether it’s charging electric vehicles, certifying home solar generation, or planning for a fusion power revolution, big changes are happening on the energy front. We’re designing for new opportunities that apply to power companies and consumers alike.
Plug n' paid is a smart plug that automatically controls non-critical appliances in the home, shifting usage to when demand is lower and energy prices cheaper.
Save Watt informs consumers of the benefits of smarter energy usage through load reduction & peak load shifting.
White Fang is an AR-based game that visualizes home energy usage to prompt more efficient behavior.
Everybody's gotta eat, right? But we've never been so aware of the effects of what we eat, how it gets to us, how it’s packaged, and what happens to the waste. We’re using a Circular Economy perspective to design new food and food systems for the future.
PSitivity is a business system that incentivises chemical recycling of polystyrene (PS) yoghurt cups through value chain collaboration.
Naked Packaging is a reusable product collation system that keeps products naked until the end destination is known, eliminating unnecessary secondary packaging.
Boomerang is a packaging and logistics solution that enables meal kit providers to offer a reusable option to conscious consumers.
Reimagining water as a circular resource for communities: fostering community, resilience, and regenerative ecosystems
A platform for strategic, transparent information sharing to reduce food loss between farmers and retailers.
Temptainer a is modular food storage system that extends the life of foods and encourages sharing, healthy eating, and reducing food waste.
A new, elite certification for chefs who want to augment plant-based cuisines through knowledge sharing, metrics for ingredients, and tools for creating menus.
Aligning incentives for farmers, retailers, and eaters to promote soil-positive practices
OrigamH2O is a premium reusable collapsible water vessel offering a customisable mineral water dispensing experience at home.
Recipuzzles is a fun and simple game that helps people build their culinary confidence while reducing waste, eating more fruits and vegetables, and saving money.
As technologies like streaming data, machine learning, and even quantum computing help us better model risk, how might insurance offer new types of coverage or provide access to broader groups of people?
GAH! is a transparent micro-insurance policy against unexpected public transit delays that offers policyholders a customizable payout model.
Offset is a distributed market for catastrophe bonds, democratizing the asset class for retail investors and homeowners.
EvenKeel software application for freelancers to allow them to project their income and manage/stabilize income fluctuation.
Quilt is an aggregation platform that shows all your coverage in one place, so you can see the gaps and easily fill them.
Grounded is an earthquake insurance platform, built on distributed architecture, that leverages Augur prediction markets to provide insurance to homeowners.
Om brings simplicity, transparency, and speed to healthcare payments, from appointments to check-in to check-out.
Gild is a credit card rewards system that helps users choose the best health insurance and pay for a reduced premium plan.
Zazu streamlines the process of buying life insurance: starting with basic coverage and growing with you over time.
One of the most fundamental human needs, our health is still addressed by an overly complex and cumbersome system that usually feels less than human. Together, we can design systems and experiences that improve outcomes for all.
Marelai is an augmented reality (AR) application that contextualizes a patient's medical and personal history in order to quickly build empathy between patient and doctor.
Gild is a credit card rewards system that helps users choose the best health insurance and pay for a reduced premium plan.
Om brings simplicity, transparency, and speed to healthcare payments, from appointments to check-in to check-out.
The way we define, send, and store value is fundamentally changing for the first time in several millennia. Technology has shifted financial systems—but value hasn’t been equally distributed. How might we promote utility, access, and openness in these changing systems?
CITRUST is a tool that enables adults to pay in cryptocurrency at any lemonade stand, protects privacy, and helps the child save toward a goal.
CookieJar is a tool for families to manage expenses as elderly relatives age in place, enabling family members to contribute to "cookie jars" for relatives.
Open is a margin trading application for crypto-savvy investors that enables complex transactions on decentralized finance platforms.
Grounded is an earthquake insurance platform, built on distributed architecture, that leverages Augur prediction markets to provide insurance to homeowners.
EvenKeel software application for freelancers to allow them to project their income and manage/stabilize income fluctuation.
Getting from one place to another is just as important as ever, but we’ve never had so many options for how we get there and what we do on the way.
BlokMotiv is a blockchain parts-identity system that links physical components with digital records to secure the automotive supply chain.
People-Centered AV Mobility is a radically redesigned community engagement program in the City of San José.
Yolk is a multi-modal transportation solution that lowers barriers to access new modes of transportation, consolidating accounts and payment.
EcoWays is an environmental integration for your transit app. It raises awareness of the impact of everyday transport decisions on personal and community health.
CoLab organizes multiple fellowships each year into cohorts of complementary skills, experience, and interest. Fellows work together on teams in a design-led process to research, explore, and prototype solutions in selected domains.
The fellowship is a hands-on, transformative experience that builds skills in design and collaboration. Fellows develop a professional network of collaborators they can rely on in the future. Past CoLab fellows have gone on to found new companies, lead industry innovation departments, and produce academic research in their domains.
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CoLab's annual activities are constantly evolving. Sign up below to keep informed about future fellowships and organizational partnerships.
There's more to the CoLab than can fit on a one-page site. Here are some of our most popular articles published on our medium page!
Since we often get a lot of questions about what we’re looking for in a CoLab fellow, we’ve put together a short guide to help you submit your best application possible.
CoLab’s collaborative innovation model helps us rapidly explore and understand the implications of emerging tech...but what’s it really like to experience one of CoLab’s sprints?
Just 25 of our go-to tools for learning about the potential of new technologies
We’re doing fast iterations, from Post-it ideas to paper concepts to coded-up systems, to identify which are the right proofs-of-concept to create in longer term projects.
