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Google said to be making giant displays that work like Legos
Many interesting projects have been born inside Google's famous X labs, including smart glasses, balloons capable of distributing internet connectivity and, most recently, a self-driving car. Now, according to The Wall Street Journal, the next big thing that could come out of Google X are giant, modular displays which can connect to create one very large image. Per the report, the project is being developed by Mary Lou Jepsen, co-founder of the One Laptop Per Child initiative and previously a professor at MIT.
Google's CEO is pushing for hyper-efficient airports and other moonshots
The Google we already know controls our pockets, makes sense of the web and wants to understand our behavior. That one company already has such extensive reach is pretty crazy, which also raises a weighty question: What would a Google 2.0 look like? According to a new report from The Information, CEO Larry Page has been trying to figure out just that. As the story goes, he rounded up the company's brass over a year ago to suss out what big problems were really worth tackling and to set Google's course accordingly.
Google's Megan Smith named America's new CTO
After the announcement that America's current CTO Todd Park was stepping down, rumors swirled that Google X VP Megan Smith would be next to take the reins. Well, the White House has just made that official -- the Washington Post reports that Smith was named the United States' Chief Technical Officer today. Meanwhile, former Twitter lawyer Alex Macgillivray (who was also reportedly being considered for the spot) has been installed as the country's Deputy CTO.
Here's how Google's Project Loon retrieves its internet balloons (video)
Project Loon's balloons could not be more different than your typical party variety -- it's loaded with research equipment and LTE capability, providing high-speed internet connection wherever they go. Obviously, Google's X Lab researchers (the ones behind this crazy balloons-as-hotspot project) will want their data and expensive equipment back. So, they equipped their balloons with GPS and formed a special team to retrieve the floating hotspots when they land. Apparently, the researchers plan out when and where to land balloons for whatever reason (they mostly choose flat areas that are uninhabited but have decent road access), which the field personnel then seek out through their coordinates.
Google's Megan Smith rumored as America's next CTO
The United States found itself without a Chief Technology Officer yesterday when Todd Park relinquished his post to go trawl Silicon Valley for IT types, but that spot may not stay open for long. Bloomberg claims that there's already a frontrunner for the job: Megan Smith, the 49 year old vice president of Google's moonshot-loving X division. If the rumors hold true, Smith would become the country's third CTO (succeeding Park and his predecessor Aneesh Chopra), and the first not to trade one government job for another.
Google shows off 'Project Wing' delivery drones
Amazon is selling a phone and reportedly even getting into the online ad business, so of course Google is ready to compete with its still-in-testing Prime Air drone delivery service. The Atlantic has a report on what is being called "Project Wing," a part of the Google X labs that have worked on Project Loon, Glass, driverless cars and so much more. As shown above, the idea is for a tail sitter unmanned aircraft (shown above, described as a hybrid between a plane and a helicopter that takes off and lands vertically), where the drone flies in like a plane, then hovers and lowers a package to the ground by wire before releasing it. The "egg" at the end of the wire hits the ground and drops the package before being pulled back up into the drone. So can you expect to receive a Google Shopping Express order this way anytime soon? Probably not right away, as the test shown took place in Australia, and there's plenty of testing and regulatory hurdles to get over before anyone is dropping off packages this way. If you're an interested partner (hey Netflix, maybe drones aren't a joke?) there's a sign-up sheet available. Update: Check after the break for a video of the project.
Google buys design firm behind OLPC and Slingbox
Man, Google's checkbook is really getting a workout this summer. According to a report from Bloomberg, the search giant just acquired yet another company, and unlike the other two companies it bought this month, it isn't an mobile app startup No, no: its latest target is a small product design firm called Gecko, and Google's looking to bring those design smarts to bear on its ambitious Google X projects.
Google wants to define a healthy human with its new baseline genetic study
Google's got a big new project and it's you. Well, not just you, but a genetic and molecular study of humanity that aims to grasp at what a healthy human should be. It's in its early days, collecting anonymous data from 175 people, but it plans to expand to thousands later. The project is headed up by molecular biologist Andrew Conrad, who pioneered cheap HIV tests for blood-plasma donations. According to the WSJ, the team at Google X current numbers between 70 and 100, encompassing experts in physiology, biochemistry, optics, imaging and molecular biology. The Baseline project will apparently take in hundreds of different samples, with Google using its information processing talents to expose biomarkers and other patterns - the optimistic result hopefully being faster ways of diagnosing diseases. Biomarkers has typically been used with late-stage diseases, as these studies have typically used already-sick patients. "He gets that this is not a software project that will be done in one or two years," said Dr. Sam Gambhir, who is working with Dr. Conrad on the project. "We used to talk about curing cancer and doing this in a few years. We've learned to not say those things anymore."
Google strikes smart contact lens deal to track diabetes and fix farsightedness
With Glass and Android Wear, Google has already invested a lot of time and resources into developing the next-generation of wearables, but it's another of its eye-focused projects that has today received its first major boost. The search giant's secret Google[x] team has confirmed that it's licensed its smart eyewear to healthcare specialist Novartis, which will develop the technology into a product that can improve eye care and help manage diseases and conditions.
These early Google Glass prototypes looked (even more) awkward
Whether you believe Google Glass looks hideous or fashionable -- and hey, we're not here to judge -- the current model looks a heckuva lot better than its first few prototypes. The first models arrived on the scene in 2010, and they looked more like the mess Jason Jones slapped together for the Daily Show than an actual consumer product. Three of the earliest prototypes, spanning two years, were on display at I/O this week.
One year in, and Google's crazy internet-by-balloon project is doing just fine
Even we laughed a little when Google X announced Project Loon -- an ambitious experiment built to give rural areas balloon-powered Internet access -- but one year later, the company may have proven its point: this could work. Since the project was announced last June, the company has made huge strides in balloon flight time and connectivity. Wired reports that Google's latest floating hotspots have been given LTE capabilities, freeing them from the range limitations the original WiFi-based designed burdened them with. These new radios offer better transfer speeds, too -- as high as 22 MB/s to an antenna or 5 MB/s to a phone. More importantly, the balloons are staying aloft for much longer: earlier this year, one test circled the globe three times before dropping to the ground, and another has been floating for over 100 days - and it's still up there.
How Google's internet-balloon idea got off the ground
On paper, the notion of balloon-provided internet sounds more than a little ridiculous, but that's just how Google X rolls. Mountain View's far-off research division has recently spilled (some of) its guts to Fast Company, detailing the process for bringing something like Project Loon from concept to reality. To start, every X project must address a problem that affects possibly billions of people and it has to use a radical solution that resembles sci-fi to do so. Oh, and it needs to utilize tech that's "very nearly" obtainable, if it already isn't available, too.
Google's Project Loon balloon goes around the world in just 22 days
One of Project Loon's hot air balloons just completed a journey 'round the world, but unlike Vernes' Phileas Fogg who took 80 days to do so, Google's creation took but a mere 22 days. That far exceeds Mountain View's expectations (the team thought it would take around 33 days), all thanks to data collected by previous test flights. You see, the folks behind the project make sure to assess and use those findings to continue improving their balloons. In fact, this model (called Ibis-167), which had to brave particularly strong winds, might not have made it if not for the changes the team made.
Google's mysterious San Francisco barge may host a modular showroom (video)
For roughly a week, San Franciscans have been speculating about a mysterious, Google-owned barge moored off Treasure Island. Is it a secret lab? A parking lot for autonomous cars? According to sources speaking to local TV station KPIX 5, the truth is slightly less exciting -- if still very strange. The containers onboard the ship are reportedly for a modular Google X showroom with a party deck for VIPs on top. The company could reassemble its venue anywhere in the world, letting it pitch technologies like Google Glass without having to rent a building... or find solid ground, for that matter. Just don't expect to pay a visit any time soon. The tipsters claim that the project is on hold for various reasons, including a need to comply with naval regulations. Google isn't commenting on the barge's true purpose; however, you're more than welcome to present alternative theories in the comments.
Watch a Google Project Loon launch Friday, witness the cloud navigate clouds
Fancy yourself a balloon maven? Well, tomorrow, Maker Camp's Field Trip Friday event is going to Google X for a Project Loon launch. Don't worry, you're invited too. Starting at 2PM ET, Make is interviewing those who've made stratospheric internet-distribution possible, via a Hangout on the magazine's Google+ page and its YouTube channel. What's more, the girl who floated Hello Kitty into space, Lauren Rojas, joins Maker Camp's festivities on Friday. To kill time between now and then, we suggest contemplating the whole "cloud in actual clouds" thing, it's kept us busy for a while.
Google's Project Loon proposes internet distributed by high flying balloons (video)
No, we're not joking. Google is seriously proposing hot air ballon-powered internet access, and has already launched a pilot project in New Zealand with 50 testers trying to connect via a helium-filled, solar powered balloon. One of the Google[x] moonshot projects, there are a couple of videos embedded after the break explaining the issue, and the technology Google wants to use to address it. Project Loon's playful logo reflects the custom designed antennas users will use to receive their signal from balloons floating twice as high as commercial airplanes fly. The signal goes from ground based antennas, up to the balloon, which use their high-altitude placement to broadcast much further than other methods. In the future, the company envisions cell phone users connecting to the balloons to extend service where none exists today. According to Google, in "more than half" of the countries in the southern hemisphere and for two out of three people on earth, internet access is far too expensive. It's trying to set up pilot projects in other countries on the same latitude as New Zealand, so interested 40th parallel south residents should forward this info to the appropriate officials immediately. Meanwhile, curious Kiwis can sign up to take part in the project on its website, or attend the Festival of Flight in Christchurch on Sunday to meet the team and learn more about it. Update: Check out another video of the launch of the first balloons embedded after the break, shot via Google Glass by Trey Ratcliff and see even more photos on his site Stuck in Customs.
Google X acquires Makani Power, an airborne wind turbine manufacturer
Larry Page just picked up another bird for his flying craft collection, and this plane doesn't even carry passengers. In fact, it's not used for transportation at all -- the aircraft is tethered to the ground. Google X, the tech giant's experimental arm, recently acquired the device's designer, Makani Power. That company is currently in the process of creating a flying wind turbine system. In essence, the Airborne Wind Turbine (AWT) flies at an altitude of 800 to 1,950 feet in order to take advantage of stronger winds. On-board generators create up to 600 kilowatts of electricity collected through dedicated turbines, which is then sent on to a tethered ground station. It's an interesting idea indeed, and judging by Google's non-disclosed financial interest, Mountain View sees some serious potential as well. The acquisition, first reported by Bloomberg Businessweek, was but one component of the publication's in-depth look into Google X. You can read that article in full at the source link below.
Project Glass revealed to have physical trackpad along right arm (video)
Sergey Brin has appeared on The Gavin Newsom Show on Current TV to drop a few more enticing hints about Project Glass. While showing the presenter a picture he'd taken with the AR glasses, he revealed that the prototype is controlled with a trackpad running down the right* arm. He also talked about the device's genesis in Goggle's (pun intended) X Lab, which he described as an "advanced skunkworks" where "far-out projects" are developed -- it's also the department that occupies most of his time. While the units he and his colleagues have been wearing are very rough prototypes, the Google co-founder shared his private hope that the tech will make its way to general release next year. You can catch the extract in full in the video after the break. *Right for the wearer, left for the observer. It depends entirely on your perspective.
Googleplex expansion plans hint at Project X lab, wireless testing facilities
Google's eyeing up some vacant space at the end of its lawn to throw $120 million at a Grand Designs-style extension to its Mountain View campus. Residents will soon see the @Home lab, purportedly to test fully formed consumer devices and whatever secret home entertainment / wireless communications gear we've heard rumblings about. The new development will enable Project X (the interesting one with the James Bond-gizmos, not the lecture series website) to move into a meatier facility where they can perfect projects like Majel and the self-driving car. The most notable development (according to business-types, anyway) is the "Experience Center," a 120,000 square foot private museum / demonstration space for Google to schmooze its most important clients in style (wait, aren't we the most important clients?). VIPs will be invited to play with the newest toys the company can produce before gorging themselves on canapés, or something. Californians wandering past 1600 Shoreline Blvd down the road from the Googleplex, might also notice a new building that's not covered in official branding -- because it's going to be a new wireless testing facility that's being shielded from external signals. At least, that's where we'll be pitching a tent with a couple of long lenses when it opens for business.
Google's mysterious 'Solve for X' launching today? (video)
Google's X Lab is the search giant's top-secret facility even its own employees didn't know about. It's believed to be working on driverless cars, internet connected appliances and Majel: a Star Trek-inspired rebuttal to Siri. It's also apparently behind the Solve for X website, which hints at a TED-style public-presentation site featuring the great and the good talking about "redefining problems into challenges." The video (embedded below) and the site's background seem to agree, given one of the big box-outs reads "What is a Solve for X talk." Richard DeVaul (a member of the "[X] Rapid Evaluation team") mentioned on his Google+ page that the videos would be launching at some point today. Presumably we can expect to see innovative new solutions on dealing with Climate Change, new Cancer Treatments and awkward silence if anyone mentions a Canadian super-soldier program.
