With Nara Lokesh, minister of IT for AP, signing an agreement with the moonshot factory of Alphabet -X (Google X), many mainstream media started reporting Google X is about start a research center in Vizag. Is it true, that this semi-secret agency of google will start office in AP? Let’s dig a bit deep…
What is Google X?
Do you know there is one high technology office that has some sort of relation with google and it has no official website? Or can you imagine, their office, situated inside Google campus in California has no sign in front of the building and it is just a three-story red-brick building with no name board and signs? Yes, we are talking about Google X. The semi-secret research division of Google. But this “X” is not same as “Google Research”, the lab division of Google.
Google Research is mainly devoted to computer science and Internet technologies. But google X is tasked with making actual objects that interact with the physical world like – driver less cars, Google Glass, high altitude Wi-Fi balloons, and glucose-monitoring contact lenses. The staff at Google X office also idiosyncratic. Some of their employees are former park rangers, sculptors, philosophers, machinists and novelists one X scientist has won two Academy Awards for special effects. It was called as Google X until 2015, but now it is renamed to ‘X’ and it works as subsidiary of bigger company called Alphabet.
What is so secret about Google X:
Google X (or X) works on moonshot ideas. Moonshot is a crazy idea or an improbable project that has a million-to-one scientific chance of ever being solved or making a difference. But if it all solved, it will radically change the world. Some of the projects google X worked on are ridiculous if it would not be for Google. Space elevators, teleportation, hover boards, and driver less cars – These are some of the ideas/ projects worked at the top-secret Google X innovation lab.
What are projects at Google X:
Google X sometime back revealed developing a smart contact lens for diabetics. This contact lens will measure glucose levels in tears, because it features miniaturised electronics like chips, sensors and a hair-thin antenna.
Another project they developed is driverless cars which did not get government permission in US and many other countries. There were rumors that powerful lobbying by insurance companies against these self driven cars in US.
“Wing” is another project that aims to rapidly deliver products across a city by using flying vehicles. These flying vehicles take off vertically, then rotate to a horizontal position for flying around. For delivery, it hovers and winches packages down to the ground.But dropping the cargo or landing were found to be unfeasible, as users compromised the safety
What is the MoU with AP all about:
Project Loon: Google X has a unique solution for those in rural areas who struggle to get access to the internet. Called Project Loon, the endeavor uses air balloons to beam 3G internet speeds to remote places.Specifically, the system uses balloons carried by the wind at altitudes twice as high as commercial aircraft, to beam internet access to the ground at speeds similar to today’s 3G networks or faster. This is the project that will be implemented in AP.
“X” has signed a MoU (memorandum of understanding) with Andhra Pradesh government to setup developmental centre in Visakhapatnam and to create a high speed internet network that doesn’t require special cabling. Instead of cables, the X internet network in Andhra will use “Free Space Optical Communications, aka FSOC, technology”. This network will power internet in 13 districts through 2 thousand FSOC links. The X centre in Visakhapatnam will be its first development centre outside the US.
Finally, Is it true or not?
So Google X having a separate development center in Vizag is partially true and partially false. The X centre in Visakhapatnam will be its first development centre outside the US. But it is not a full-fledged X research centre in Vizag. It is going to be a center in Vizag that will implement the project that they have already developed. It is unlikely that this Vizag center will have any other research similar to what happens in California’s “X” office.
