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Google has acquired the company North, a Canadian tech company based in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario. They make smart glasses called Focals. But what does this new partnership mean for North and Google?
North was founded under the name ‘Thalmic Labs’ in 2012 with a very cool vision of creating an invisible part of peoples daily lives. This technology could be available as soon as you need it, right in front of your eyes and then out of sight when you don’t.
In the last little while, North has shifted its focus to its ‘Focals’ project. Before that, they were working on the product named Myo, which was a gesture type input system. Focals however, can bring up full retinal projection with prescription capabilities.
With Google being in the Kitchener-Waterloo (KW) area, North knew that this was a real possibility. Being acquired by Google, this acquisition is an excellent fit for North as they feel Google will significantly advance their vision. North and their employees will be able to stay in Waterloo. Waterloo has shown them a significant amount of support, and the KW area has become a hotbed for tech start-up companies. The fit made sense both from a logistical stand as well as the tech resources that Google will be able to bring to the table.
Google states that their vision has always been advancing towards a future where helpful technology is all around you. They have worked on everything from Maps on your phone to Nest Hub sharing a recipe when you need it. The idea of incorporating technology into your daily life without it being intrusive. It is there when you need it, then can fade to the background when you don’t.
Google says that with North’s technical expertise, this will help them work towards even more technology that incorporates ambient computing. North will join the Google ecosystem in Kitchener-Waterloo.
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