• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, November 14, 2011

As Google's projects ranging from Lunar X Prize to self-driving cars continue to come as a surprise to many, the reality remains that the company's engineer founders have a deep understanding of technology and what it can do. Now it appears these products are brainstormed and created in a secret lab, The New York Timesreports. It's called Google X. Many Google employees don't know the lab exists.

The "Web of things" grew legs during the early 2000s as technologists began to build sensor networks connecting everything from refrigerators to handheld devices -- any type of electronics requiring diagnostic assistance or the ability to connect and talk with other devices. The idea to link all electronics sparked debate on Internet protocols v4 and v6, and on whether the Internet could support the activity and how companies would store the data. 

Since then, companies LG and Samsung have launched refrigerators that connect to the Internet, as well as washers and dryers that enable technicians to diagnose problems through wireless connections. Samsung has two refrigerators with an 8-inch screen built into the door -- which, along with a series of kitchen-related applications and Wi-Fi, makes the refrigerator smarter. 

The New York Times reports that most of the ideas that come from Google X Labs remain conceptual. Many, however, have been in the works for years -- not only at Google, but at other companies. For instance, Google founder Sergey Brin attended a conference as part man and part machine.  Apparently, Google continues to sift through a list of about 100 similar ideas, but all will be worked on in time.

Google Engineers Alberto Savoia and Patrick Copeland published a paper on "Entrepreneurial Innovation at Google," which tells it all when it comes to the company's position on technology and advancements.

Sometimes people forget that Google is an engineering company, and its employees are technology innovators first and foremost. Search is simply a byproduct that generates the majority of its revenue.