#googlex

Hello!

Here are just a few of the many astounding moonshots Google X has invented and launched, along with a short description accompanying each one.

•Project Loon A network of balloons traveling on the edge of space, designed to extend internet connectivity to people in rural and remote areas worldwide. High speed internet is transmitted up to the nearest balloon from our telecommunications partner on the ground, relayed across from the balloon network and then back to users on the ground. Project Loon’s average internet connection speed is 10 Mbps from over 100 kilometers apart in the stratosphere.

•Project Wing A drone based delivery system addressing the general problems of same-day deliveries, disaster relief, and delivering to less accessible areas. The Project Wing aircrafts take off and land on their tails, but cruise normally. These aircrafts have four electric motors, a wingspan of about five feet and weighs just under 19 pounds. When fully loaded, the drones weigh around 22 pounds.

•Makani An energy kite that uses the same aerodynamic principles as a conventional wind turbine but doesn’t use as much materials and steel. By using a strong flexible tether, energy kites can reach higher altitudes. Each kite can also access 50% more energy than regular wind turbines while also eliminating 90% of the materials those turbines use.

Information used above is taken mostly from Google Xs website

If you might want to add information to the fascinating projects listed above or even submit information on other moonshots created by Google X, feel free to send a submission to me via the “Submit!” part of this blog.

That’s all for now! Any questions, comments, suggestions? Don’t hesitate to leave a comment! Let’s have a discussion!!

Fascinating article from @theatlantic! Reading with an OD lens a number of tings pop out at me:

- Idea generation: They use the POP (purpose, outcome, process) formula! “ “First, it must address a huge problem; second, it must propose a radical solution; third, it must employ a relatively feasible technology.“

- Creating and nurturing an intentional organizational culture facilitates the mission: “Psychological safety. I initially winced when I heard the term, which sounded like New Age fluff. But it turns out to be an important element of X’s culture, the engineering of which has been nearly as deliberate as that of, say, Loon’s balloons.”

- Structuring your rewards so that they encourage behavior that you want to see more of:  “Because the latter possibility is high, the company has also created financial rewards for team members who shut down projects that are likely to fail.“