What if you could learn Japanese through AI-generated stories instead of flashcards, or practice sign language with a tutor that corrects your form in real time. Those are not product mockups, they are working prototypes built by students in the Google-funded Futures Lab at the University of Waterloo. Google published a look at the projects on May 29, 2026.
What the Futures Lab Is
Each lab is an eight-week intensive in AI and user-experience prototyping. Students from computer science, business and the natural sciences form small teams, pick a real problem in learning or work, and build a functioning tool rather than a slide deck. The partnership is led by Dr. Edith Law, the Google Chair in the Future of Work and Learning.
The Prototypes
- Kanji Garden: an app that teaches Japanese through immersive, AI-generated stories and visuals instead of rote memorization
- SignFluent: a real-time American Sign Language learning tool that gives instant feedback on a learner’s form
- MuscleMemory: an on-the-go calisthenics trainer that uses AI camera tracking to deliver audio feedback on exercise form and help prevent injuries
Each project pairs a generative model with a tight feedback loop, so the AI responds to what the user actually does rather than just answering questions.
Accessibility at the Core
SignFluent is the clearest example of the lab’s accessibility focus. Building a tool that watches a user’s hands and returns usable feedback required the team to work at the intersection of computer vision, product design and Deaf community needs. The students said they learned that accessibility is a design constraint from day one, not a feature added later.
Lessons Beyond Code
The takeaways were not only technical. The MuscleMemory team found that applied communication skills, often considered non-technical, were valuable to a prototyping project. The Kanji Garden team said it learned to approach challenges with a user-centered mindset. The SignFluent team described learning product design at the intersection of accessibility and technology.
What This Means
The Futures Lab is a small program with an outsized signal. It shows a model for AI education where students build with the technology, test it against real users and confront questions of accessibility and usefulness early. For Google, it is also a pipeline and a public demonstration that AI’s value depends on how thoughtfully it is designed into learning and work.