Google will acquire Flutter for close to $40 million
This blog has previously discussed the popularity of mobile technology, and how more M&A activity is centered around companies that want to hone their products in that area. Internet giant Google is no different, as it announced this week that it will acquire Flutter, which specializes in gesture recognition technology.
TechCrunch explained that the technology acquisition will likely improve Google's current Android and Glass options, possibly offering options similar to Microsoft's Kinect. Specific terms of the deal were not released, but TechCrunch reported that it would be close to $40 million.
Flutter co-founder Navneet Dalal wrote a statement on the company blog, saying that the Flutter team was excited for the opportunity to work with Google and that it has been their dream to "build a ubiquitous and power-efficient gesture recognition technology."
From there, Flutter has been able to build machine vision algorithms and fine tune its user experience.
"We share Google's passion for 10x thinking, and we're excited to add their rocket fuel to our journey," Dalal wrote.
GigaOm's Janko Roettgers interviewed Dalal one year ago, when the co-founder explained that gestures were just the first step. He hinted at the time that facial recognition could be coming, because it does not make sense to wave your hand at a smartphone while on the subway. The bigger vision is to give machines eyes, and make them aware of their users, he said.
A Google spokesperson released a statement that said Flutter's team had an impressive ability of designing "new technology based on cutting edge research." Additionally, Google is looking forward to supporting and collaborating on their research efforts.