The gas tax is the state’s principal source of revenue for its road, bridges, and ferries. Industry forecasts predict that fuel efficiency will rise from its current 20.5 mpg to 35 mpg by 2035. As that happens, state gas tax revenue will decline by as much as 50 percent. In partnership with the state, UW students have created smartphone apps that track road usage, while giving the user privacy control.
Category: Design thinking
Innovation Fund Spring 2017 winners
The CoMotion Innovation Fund is a partnership between CoMotion and the Washington Research Foundation to support innovations that have a high chance of creating impact but are unlikely to get there without additional funding.
Driverless Seattle: How the city can plan for automated vehicles
A new report from the University of Washington’s Tech Policy Lab and the Mobility Innovation Center touts the need for readiness and tackles the costs and benefits of automated vehicles.
Is good design a result of science, or an evolution of ideas?
Axel Roesler, associate professor and chair of the Interactive Design Program at the UW, writes that any innovation has to fit into people’s daily routines and lives. The human element is the measure of all things innovative.
Emotional intelligence or math and science: Which is essential to innovation?
Dan Kranzler, founder of the Kirlin Charitable Foundation, explores whether innovation can be nurtured or taught.
Why every innovation can’t be the next iPhone
Is “innovation” an unquestionable good? Some innovation is clearly better than other innovation — and not all innovations are created equal. We should measure innovation by its ability to improve people’s lives, says UW Information School professor Jacob Wobbrock. And even though an innovation may only improve one person’s life or the lives of millions, a life-improving innovation is better than an idle innovation that gathers dust.