Google X: The Secret Google Lab

For years, Google had a secret skunkworks lab called Google X. Google has insane amounts of money, and Google’s founders love big ideas.

Google X explored secret “moon shot” ideas as ways to improve the human condition.

The Google X lab became slightly less secret when reports on it appeared in the news.

A few older Google X projects demonstrate the bang out of work X does.

Loon

Loonis Google’s idea for extending internet access into remote areas by way of weather balloons.

Loon"graduated" from Xin July 2018, to become its own company under Alphabet.

Makaniis a project started in 2006 to create kites that generate energy.

The kites are tethered wind turbines, which would theoretically be more efficient than conventional, anchored turbines.

You may know aboutAmazon’s drone delivery project.

Well, as it turns out, Google has adrone delivery project,too, calledWing.

Wing has an unusual design.

It then turns back to the vertical position to hover for delivery.

Package delivery is also a bit different.

It detects when the package has hit land and then releases it from the cable.

The cable is then raised back into the drone, which turns back to horizontal position to zoom away.

Google states that it is still “many years away” from turning this into a commercial project.

Don’t be surprised if Google abandons the notion without launching it.

Such is the nature of crazy ideas or “moonshots” as Google refers to them.

The last thing Google needs is another privacy scare.

Like Loon, Wing became a business within Alphabet in July 2018.

The onboard computer is the brains behind the operation so the car is always in full alert mode.

Space elevators aren’t an official X project, but it was considered.

Next, you connect that space station to the earth using a gigantic and really strong cable.

You could use this for observation or as a launching pad for space missions.

It’s a great idea for scientists, tourists, and astronauts.

Plus, the company that invents a working model could make a fortune in government contracts alone.

Eventually, it was determined to be not feasible at this time.

What was once an odd idea, is currently a marketable feature.

you’re free to stay informed on other projects at theX Projectsweb page.

Projects in development are listed alongside graduated and discontinued X projects.