25 October 2016, USA :
Google has acquired Eyefluence, a startup focused on developing eye-tracking technology. The amount of the deal was not disclosed by either of the companies.
The Eyefluence stated in a blog post, “Today, we are excited to announce that the Eyefluence team is joining Google! With our forces combined, we will continue to advance eye-interaction technology to expand human potential and empathy on an even larger scale. We look forward to the life-changing innovations we’ll create together!”
Eyefluence was founded in early 2013 by Jim Marggraff and David Stiehr, successful, award-winning, serial entrepreneurs. We acquired non-commercial eye tracking technology from an R&D company that had been funded with government grants.
Google’s acquisition of Eyefluence signals continuing interest by the search giant in augmented reality and virtual reality applications. The move may telegraph future strategy in its newly-launched Pixel phone line, which currently has VR capabilities enabled by the Daydream VR headset, which is similar to Samsung’s Gear VR platform in form and function Business Insider reported.
