Self-driving cars to smart contact lenses: A look at four amazing Google X projects

Google on Tuesday showed off the prototype of a new self-driving car that it has been working on. Notably, it has no steering wheel, no pedals and runs at a maximum speed of 25 mph at the moment.   The car comes from ’s Google’s highly secretive X division, which works on ‘moonshot’ projects such as the car itself.  Internally called Google[x], the division is headed by co-founder Sergey Brin and it has come out with some outrageous sounding programmes, but which fit right within Google’s scheme of things.   We take a look at four key Google[x] projects from the company.   Google Glass This is definitely the most-famous Google X project and is now available to US buyers for $1500. Google’s Sergey Brin has indicated in a TED Talk that he hopes that Glass will overtake smartphones as the mode of communication because smartphones are just too damned emasculating. Google hopes to eliminate some device barriers with Glass and reduce the need for users to check their phones.   Google’s smartglasses run on a version of Android, and have a 720p camera, full day battery life (but according to most reviews the battery hasn’t done too well), bone conduction audio and 16 GB memory with 12 GB memory available on board. As far as the display is concerned,according to Google this is the “equivalent of a 25-inch high definition screen from eight feet away.” It also comes with WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. [caption id=“attachment_219598” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A researcher demonstrates Glass-enabled ATM withdrawal (Image courtesy Saarland University)[/caption]   Glass already has an app from NYT, Google Play Music, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, etc. More third-party apps are coming by the day. We had reported earlier that Google Glass is likely to get its own app store for Glassware in 2014.   Project Loon This is another ambitious Google project where the company plans to launch Internet-beaming balloons into near space to provide faster Internet to the world. Project Loon, which was so far kept under a tight lid, was announced in New Zealand in June 2013, and 50 volunteer households were the first ones to get connected. The homes got 3G-like speeds thanks to the helium balloons that sail about 20 km above Earth.   The balloon project is still in the experimental stage, but the Google plans to use this as an alternative to installing expensive fibre-optic cables in developing countries. Google hopes the balloons can one day be used in disaster-affected regions, where on-ground communication has been hampered.   [caption id=“attachment_224597” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Project Loon is another ambitious Google X project that aims to bring faster internet across the world.[/caption]   Each balloon is nearly 50 feet in diameter and an electronic equipments hang underneath each carrier, which include radio antennae, a flight computer, an altitude control system and solar panels. Google says each balloon is able to stay aloft for about 100 days and provide connectivity to an area stretching 40 km in diameter below them.   Google has plans to bring Project Loon to Argentina, Chile, South Africa and Australia and revealed plans last month about leasing balloons to telcos around the world, to offset some of the infrastructural costs and avoid heavy regulation.   Driverless or self-driving cars The driverless car is another Google X project that could soon be a reality perhaps within the next decade or so. Google has been testing out the driverless cars for some time now and the company hopes that they will be ready for roads by 2017. In a recent blogpost Google had written saying that the cars have started to master the navigation of city streets and the challenges they bring, from jaywalkers to weaving bicyclists — a critical milestone for any commercially available self-driving car technology. [caption id=“attachment_224598” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Google’s Driverless car is seen in this photo. Image from Google blog[/caption]   Google’s Driverless cars are run using GPS data and work on a software called Google Chauffeur. Since GPS isn’t always accurate, the car uses other sensors like laser to help identify the precise location and depth by gauging the environment. The sensors can see far off distance and interact with one another to cross check the information. Today Google showed off another prototype without a steering wheel or pedals.   Of course the success of this car will depend on how Google is able to ensure user safety on roads. How do these cars work? Everything you need to know about these cars is explained precisely here .   Smart contact lenses In January 2014, Google announced smart contact lenses that could help users check their blood sugar level and monitor their diabetes. Given that the disease affects one in every 19 people in the world, the lenses have a huge market ready for them, if and when they become a reality.   Google wrote in an official blog post , “We’re now testing a smart contact lens that’s built to measure glucose levels in tears using a tiny wireless chip and miniaturized glucose sensor that are embedded between two layers of soft contact lens material. We’re testing prototypes that can generate a reading once per second. We’re also investigating the potential for this to serve as an early warning for the wearer, so we’re exploring integrating tiny LED lights that could light up to indicate that glucose levels have crossed above or below certain thresholds.”   Google also said that is in talks with FDA and added that there is a lot more work to do to turn this technology into a everyday system for people. The company also plans to looks for partners who can bring products like this to market on a mass level.