<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"Google has a secret laboratory, unknown even to most of the company's employees, where it develops projects that sound like something taken from a sci-fi movie, the New York Times reports. \nAt the lab, located somewhere in the Bay Area, Google's brightest engineers are working on some hundred projects, including smart refrigerators and dinner plates, robots that fetch the groceries and elevators that can take you to outer space. \nAn unnamed Google engineer says that the lab is run mysteriously, in two different office buildings \u2014 one for logistics and the other for robotics projects.\nThe scientists working in the lab include hires from Microsoft, Nokia, Stanford, M.I.T., Carnegie Mellon and New York University. Google's co-founder Sergey Brin is reportedly \"deeply involved\" with the project, and he and co-founder Larry Page have come up with a list of ideas for the lab. \nIt is reportedly headed by robotics and artificial intelligence expert Sebastian Thrun from Stanford, best known for his work on the world's first driverless car. Andrew Ng, a Stanford professor and an esteemed A.I. expert, also works at the lab. \nA Google spokeswoman would not confirm the existence of the lab, but she did say that Google likes to invest in speculative projects. Google's 20% rule, which lets engineers spend one-fifth of their work time on personal projects, is one example of that, but a secret lab takes this idea a step further and makes you wonder which of these technologies will graduate to be full-fledged Google projects. \nBONUS: Inside the Google NYC LEGO and Tech Fantasy Land\n\n\n\nInside Google NYC\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGoogle Logo in LEGO\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGoogle Logo in LEGO Detail\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSergey Brin and Larry Page in LEGO\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLarry Page LEGO Detail\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGoogle NYC LEGO Land\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEric Schmidt in LEGO\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGoogle LEGO NYC\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGoogle NYC Does Halloween\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA Long Google NYC hallway\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLadder to the Next Floor at Google NYC\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nApple IIe\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nApple IIe Sideview\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCommodore PET Model 4016\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAtari 800\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTexas Instruments TI-99/4A\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCommodore 64\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMacintosh\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMacintosh PowerBook 170\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIBM PC\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNeXT computer\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNeXT computer side\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNeXT computer mouse\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nApple Newton\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAtari\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSun SpracStation 1\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSun Sparc Desktop\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSun SparcStation 1 Mouse\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n[via NYT]\nImage courtesy of Flickr, tshein"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2011/11/14/google-secret-lab/>