It's possible that you've heard the word 'Google' this year more than you've heard your own name. A name you may not have heard is Berg, a London-based design consultancy. In 2011 the two entered into a partnership that was probably an incredible investment of time and energy for Berg, and relatively small one for Google. Regardless, the result of the collaboration is quite interesting, and may give some insight into the near future of tech.

Not content with just being the hulking giant they are, Google tapped Berg to help them look beyond their current assets (search, email, maps etc.) and think outside the box, so to speak. Meaning, they wanted to know what Google could look like off screen ... in the 'real world'. Berg worked diligently last year and — if I can make a gross summation — focused their attention on creating devices that both visualize and project, referred to as Smart Light Lamps.

I say 'gross summation' because Berg details their work with Google at length in this post, and it references everything from Seymour Papert's 1966 'Summer Vision Memo' to Disney's Tron to mirrorworlds.

The end result is fascinating, if not a little heady, and the team fully acknowledges that they've just begun to scratch the surface of what's possible. We're excited to see what's next.