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Certain covert lab initiatives are designed to enhance global conditions, while others aim to innovate and launch advanced technological products. Some pursue entirely unique objectives. These ten secretive labs showcase the diverse activities conducted behind the secure walls of such establishments.
10. Google X
Established in 2010, Google X, the tech giant's research hub, operates from a nondescript brick structure close to its headquarters. Its purpose is to pioneer groundbreaking 'moonshot' technologies—ambitious projects demanding significant investment. Notable innovations include autonomous vehicles and Google Glass. Eric 'Astro' Teller, the facility's director, stated, 'We tackle humanity's greatest challenges, provided we can devise solutions.'
Among the approximately 100 concepts Google X is reportedly exploring are smart light bulbs with Internet connectivity and robotic assistants designed to handle routine tasks in both domestic and professional settings. Interestingly, these robots might take over workplace duties while humans remain at home.
Google X is also testing a network of high-altitude balloons aimed at delivering Internet connectivity to isolated regions globally, ensuring signal transmission to individuals everywhere. This fleet of balloons would offer Internet access, supported by Autolaunchers capable of deploying a new balloon every 30 minutes. During trials, these balloons have remained airborne for up to 187 days. Dubbed Project Loon, this initiative has achieved data transmission between balloons over 100 kilometers (62 miles) apart in the stratosphere, offering connection speeds of up to 10 megabits per second.
9. Apple Lab
At Apple’s covert facility in Berlin, a team of around 20 specialists with expertise in engineering, software, hardware, and sales is developing the company’s take on an autonomous vehicle. The finished product may be assembled by Magna, an auto parts manufacturer that also supplies components for BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
The project has periodically benefited from the input of automotive professionals from Tesla, Ford, and Mercedes-Benz. The Apple self-driving car is expected to launch in 2019 or 2020.
8. Amazon Lab
Amazon’s confidential facility in Cambridge, England, is refining a system for delivering packages to homes in under 30 minutes using drones. By leveraging 3-D printing to produce drone components, the process is accelerated. Equipped with GPS technology, the Amazon Prime Air drones can climb to 122 meters (400 feet) to identify markers and drop off packages, utilizing a “sense and avoid system” to navigate around obstacles.
The drones will be overseen by a “safety operator.” If an unexpected obstacle is detected during delivery, the drone will halt the mission and ascend to prevent collisions. These drones can transport packages weighing up to 2 kilograms (4.4 lb) across distances of 24 kilometers (15 miles).
7. Samsung Lab
To highlight its Creative Lab’s innovation initiative, Samsung displayed three groundbreaking creations at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show: a smart belt, a motion controller, and a smartwatch strap.
The belt, named WELT, monitors the wearer’s waist size, eating habits, step count, and sedentary time. The motion controller, called rink, enhances virtual reality interactions by offering a more intuitive and precise control method. The smartwatch strap, TipTalk, improves call clarity in noisy environments by allowing users to hear calls by simply touching their ear.
6. Telstra Lab
Situated in New South Wales, Telstra’s covert facility features a shielded room that eliminates all external interference, creating an ideal testing environment, and a “blue tick room” with carbon-coated cone walls to simulate rural and regional conditions. This lab rigorously evaluates mobile devices and software updates to avoid expensive errors.
The primary goal of these tests is quality assurance. A Telstra spokesperson stated, “Our engineering team conducts 3,450 unique tests per device, covering areas such as protocol, performance, antenna sensitivity, and user experience metrics like voice quality and data speed.” In 2016, the lab tested the Telstra Nighthawk M1, a device capable of 1-gigabit-per-second download speeds, enabling multiple Wi-Fi connections simultaneously.
5. eBay Lab
eBay’s confidential facility in San Jose, California, is transforming the shopping experience by integrating online features with physical stores and conventional businesses. Dubbed the “Bat Cave” by its 17-member team, the lab has collaborated with fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff to launch boutiques in New York and San Francisco, incorporating innovations like “smart” fitting rooms. These rooms feature mirrors that show style tips and sizing information, while the highlight is a $300,000, 5.2-meter (17 ft) “iWall” that responds to touch like a massive smartphone.
The lab has also introduced a “connected kiosk” at Simon Property Group’s Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, California, and installed touchscreen technology in stores to assist customers in navigating and locating or ordering products.
4. IKEA Lab
Copenhagen’s meatpacking district may appear an unusual location for a corporate lab, yet it’s where IKEA established Space 10, a hub for innovation and exhibition. Space 10 unites artists, designers, and technologists to create diverse prototypes showcased in exhibitions and workshops.
Beyond a 3-D-printed meatball, the lab has introduced the Crispy Bug Ball, the Urban Farmer’s Ball, and the Wonderful Waste Ball, reflecting trends transforming food production, such as lab-grown meat and algae cultivation. Using 3-D-print-on-demand technology, the lab crafts personalized food from algae proteins, beet leaves, or insects to suit consumer tastes.
Space 10’s team is also developing a hydroponic farm enhanced by technology and advanced tools like laser cutters and 3-D printers to recycle disposable materials.
3. Hedy Lamarr’s Lab
Hedy Lamarr was not only a stunning and talented actress during Hollywood’s Golden Age but also a self-taught scientist who maintained a “secret lab” in her bedroom. While living in Germany, she married an arms dealer, gaining insights into technology. After relocating to the United States and with World War II underway, she sought to contribute to the war effort.
Recognizing that torpedo signals were frequently jammed, she collaborated with composer George Antheil to create a frequency inspired by piano mechanics. Their invention, which could “shift and switch like a player piano,” made torpedo signals resistant to jamming. This technology remains integral to modern Wi-Fi, cell phone, and Bluetooth systems.
2. Thomas Jefferson’s Lab
While overseeing the renovation of the University of Virginia’s Rotunda, Matt Scheidt sought to determine the thickness of its walls. Crawling through a small opening, he stumbled upon a chemistry lab designed by Thomas Jefferson. Built in the 1820s during the final stages of the Rotunda’s construction, the lab was sealed off in 1840 due to evolving teaching methods. This isolation allowed it to survive a fire in 1895 and major renovations in the 1970s.
The lab remained hidden until October 2015, when Scheidt rediscovered it. Now, as one of the few surviving “chemical hearths” from that era, it is showcased in the Rotunda’s visitor center.
1. Feces Lab
Under Joseph Stalin's rule, the Russian government ran a covert laboratory dedicated to fecal analysis. Soviet agents gathered excrement from figures like Mao Tse-tung, studying their waste to create psychological profiles. This operation was revealed by Igor Atamanenko, a former Soviet operative, during his exploration of the secret service archives.
With traditional eavesdropping methods unavailable, Russian experts devised a unique approach: analyzing human feces. They believed stool samples could reveal psychological traits. For instance, elevated tryptophan levels indicated a relaxed and friendly demeanor, while low potassium suggested anxiety and sleep disturbances.
To obtain Mao's samples, agents reportedly installed customized toilets linked to hidden containers. When analysis indicated unfavorable conditions for negotiations, Stalin postponed agreements. The project was eventually terminated by Nikita Khrushchev, Stalin's successor, who shut down the clandestine facility.
