The 10 Google Labs Projects That Should Be Saved

Back in 2002, Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin created the experimental playground known as Google Labs—giving engineers and programmers the opportunity to develop specialized research projects for the general public. Since then, the company has produced groundbreaking features and services that all Internet users have embraced through outlets such as Gmail, Google Maps, and even YouTube. But during a recent earnings call in July, Page announced the impending closure of Google Labs, stating the company will focus more on its consumer-based products (Google+ and Chrome).

Now with 56 projects stuck in development limbo, Google plans on integrating some of its inchoate experiments into existing products, while eliminating the rest. And since it’s keeping a tight lip on when the virtual laboratory will officially shutdown: we’re left wondering which of the company's most innovative experiments will be kept alive? From space exploration technology to correlation mining tools, we rummage through the search engine’s most promising R&D ventures and list The 10 Google Labs Projects That Should Be Saved.

Launched: Dec. 16, 2010

The ability to fully explore the human anatomy right from your computer screen is an amazing feat. And that’s exactly what this web-based app allows us to do. Through interactive 3D models, we can peel back body layers and observe muscle tissue, blood vessels, bones, organs, and other individual body parts. There’s even an option to share your viewing angles with others by shooting over the corresponding URL. Only eight months fresh, we're curious to see what other augmented reality features Google could integrate into its human body search browser.

Launched: Dec. 2, 2010

As trendsetters in tech-driven philanthropy, Google definitely raised the bar with its cloud-computing platform. Thanks to an open API and over 25 years of satellite imagery, Earth Engine supplies scientists and independent researchers with a variety of high-powered computing tools to monitor and measure environmental changes. The application is being used to detect deforestation in the Amazon and sustain agriculture in Mexico. We don't see Google dropping the axe on this one. At least we hope not.

Launched: May 25, 2011

Described as “Google Trends in reverse,” Correlate was developed to find queries with corresponding patterns that are based on real-world trends. You’re given the option to upload data or search for key terms, which Google examines and generates matching patterns for, then creates an interactive chart with the data set. If that’s not enough, the research tool lets you draw patterns on a graph and returns correlations based on web search activity. Ridiculous. Being that Google already has a handful of search data tools out there, we’re hoping something gets phased out in exchange for Correlate.

Launched: July 12, 2010

The beauty behind the App Inventor is it gives users a developer platform to build their own smartphones app: code-free. How so? Google's drag-and-drop GUI lets you visually design an application by dropping elements such as text boxes and labels onto a background: running pre-developed code blocks that link and function with each event. On top of that, Google gives you access to its Android APIs (text-to-speak capability, Twitter integration, etc). Best of all, it’s free. Seeing how the Android Market is on pace to pull in $15 billion by 2013, it's no surprise that Google plans on keeping the service open until the end of the year. But what about next year?

Launched: July 26, 2011

Even though Steve Jobs made it clearer than Avian that we would never see Adobe Flash featured on any of Apple’s future products, Google engineer Pieter Senster doesn’t see why both multimedia platforms can’t exist on the same device. As an intern, Senster pitched the idea of Swiffy as an outlet to give developers access to convert Flash SWF files into HTML5—making content available on devices without a Flash Player. Since both technologies have its strengths and weaknesses, it’s great knowing that we can have access to both on our iPad 2.

Launched: June 3, 2011

Using the HTML5 canvas and Google Maps API, this fractal renderer creates Julia and Mandelbrot sets that users can interact with by zooming in or around the virtual geometric shapes. Google claims each fractal requires a ton of work to create, stating, “each pixel requires the computation of a series of numbers and a measurement of the convergence or divergence of the series. Each image usually consists of millions of numbers.” You can practically zoom in forever and discover amazing visuals, choosing from 11 different fractal options that can be generated in six color palettes. There’s also the option to share created fractals via URL link.

Launched: March 2, 2011

Not everyone has the luxury of visiting the world’s most prestige art museums. But with Art Project, Google grants us access to art treasures and galleries from over 17 museums in the US and Europe. There are over 1,061 hi-res images and 385 virtual galleries featured, plus 16 images displayed in a 12-gigapixel format. Google also allows you to comment on, share, and create art collections from its online database. Such an amazing resource tool, yet an undetermined fate.

Launched: March 8, 2010

Google’s crowdsourcing apparatus was created to make “large datasets easy to explore, visualize, and communicate” with for the general public. Like Google Correlate, users can upload or develop new data sets to build dynamic data charts that automatically update with the latest info. Over 13 databases are available including the U.S. Center for Disease Control, California Department of Education, World Bank, and more. As an incredible tool that helps compile large statistics and public information, this would be a huge loss for students and journalists.

Launched: March 8, 2010

The trace command system searches for contacts, bookmarks, music, and other apps on an Android phone through drawn alphabet gestures executed on the touchscreen. It's also capable of refining searches by adapting to your search history. For instance, if Jay-Z is one of your most popular searches, drawing the letter “J” on the screen will automatically place Jigga at the top of the results query. Dope. While Gesture Search is available on the Android Market, there has been no announcement concerning a future update. Maybe Google has plans of integrating it into the new Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS.

Launched: March 13, 2006

For years, we’ve wondered if there was intelligent life on the Red Planet. If there is, it looks like Google could be the first to discover it. With the assistance of NASA scientists, the Internet goliath was able to create an interactive map of Mars, producing three imagery views (visible, infrared, and elevation), as well as 3D renderings of the terrain. Other standout features include watching orbital tracks of spacecraft in real-time and viewing panoramic images taken by robotic rovers. Hey, self-proclaimed “armchair specialist” David Martines says he accidentally found a space station on the planet that he thinks was once inhabited by humans or aliens. So who knows what we'll discover.