Google's Sergey Brin steals show with Project Glass skydiving stunt Apple may be known for turning the product launch into performance art. But Google just stole the show. Cofounder Sergey Brin made a surprise appearance at Google's annual developer conference at San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center to demonstrate in dramatic fashion the company's futuristic Web-connected eyeglasses that instantly stream images and audio. "A lot can go wrong here today," Brin said before cutting to live video of a skydiving crew wearing Google Glass eyeglasses in a zeppelin airship hovering 4,000 feet over Moscone. As the crowd followed along, watching images transmitted by the participants' glasses, four skydivers wearing wingsuits leapt from the airship (a "Mission: Impossible"-worthy stunt that required Google to get special permission to open the door while in the air and the cooperation of the FAA, the San Francisco Mayor's Office and NASA's Ames Research Center), opening parachutes before they landed on the roof of the conference center. A group of bicyclists then raced and jumped over ramps across the roof, handing a pair of the blue glasses to a climber who rapelled down the side of the building. For the last handoff, another cyclist rode down the center of the auditorium to hand Brin the spectacles on stage. Brin cautioned the crowd of 6,000 that erupted in wild applause: "Don't try this at home, kids. These are trained professionals. Google executive Vic Gundotra quipped that the stunt showed off Google Chief Executive Larry Page's credo of having a "healthy disrespect for the impossible." Page did not appear at the conference because he's suffering from voice problems, Google says. Google says the demonstration started as a suggestion in a meeting filled with PhDs and computer scientists about six weeks ago. The idea was to test the limits of the Glass technology. The biggest challenge: connectivity. At one point, Google experimented with taping a Galaxy Nexus to a wok to send out a signal. The stunt was a huge plug for the experimental glasses (made by a team overseen by Brin). U.S.-based developers attending the conference roared when Brin said they would be eligible to pre-order a pair of the Glass Explorer edition of the glasses for $1,500. The glasses will ship early next year. They won't be available for sale outside the conference. "This is a really new technology," Brin said. We really want to get in hands of passionate people as early as possible. The stunt also generated excitement for Google's brand, which despite the success of its Android mobile software has not enjoyed the same cachet as Apple. "It did what it was supposed to do: It woke everyone up and got them engaged," said Opus Research analyst Greg Sterling. This creates a certain amount of excitement around the brand and pushes the idea that Google is on the cutting edge of computing. The team working on the eyeglasses say they are light -- weighing less than some sunglasses -- yet sturdy, able to capture life's fleeting images, say of a baby smiling, without a camera or device getting in the way. Google's 'smart glasses' reportedly launching this year Sergey Brin wears Project Glass; Google specs spur fear, punch lines