HUD Glasses Project Also Confirms Google[x] Lab for Advanced Research

Google revealed that it's working on augmented reality glasses partly to put an end to the leaks around the project. Info was still getting out and, as the team moved to the next phase of the project, testing the glasses in real-world situations, it would become impossible to keep it quiet anymore.

Of course, the positive PR effect is certainly nice, especially after the last few months in which Google has been getting hammered.

But along with the glasses, Google also confirmed another widely spread rumor, its Google X lab, which we now know is called Google[x]. The division is tasked with experimenting with wild technologies and houses all shoot-for-the-moon projects at the company.

The augmented reality glasses are the first project to be made public, but they’re hardly the only thing Google[x] is working on. Self-driving cars is another of these projects, but it predates Google[x] even though it's a part of it now.

But Google[x] is rumored to be working on things as far-fetched, or "long term" as space elevators.

The Google[x] Project Glass announcement is signed by Babak Parviz, Steve Lee and Sebastian Thrun.

Babak Parviz is an expert on bionanotechnology, self-assembly and nanofabrication. His expertise is what will make the display on these glasses a reality. He recently built a contact lens with an integrated display.

Steve Lee is a Google product manager formerly associated with its location app Latitude, but he now works on Google[x]. Finally, Sebastian Thrun is a world expert on robotic vehicles and is the one responsible for the self-driving cars.

While his name is not part of the announcement, Google cofounder Sergey Brin leads the Google[x] effort and was heavily involved with the HUD glasses project. After a string of copy-cat and me-too products, it's nice to see Google do something no one else is doing, for a change.