Facebook Acquires CTRL-labs to Advance Neural Input Armband Tech
Facebook purchases CTRL-labs, a startup that creates armbands translating neural impulses into digital signals, for an estimated $500 million to $1 billion.
Facebook acquires CTRL-labs, a New York-based startup that builds an armband translating neural impulses and muscle movements into digital input signals. The deal costs between $500 million and $1 billion according to sources, and the startup joins Facebook's Reality Labs division to help scale this technology for consumer products.
The acquisition brings CTRL-labs CEO Thomas Reardon and his team to Facebook as the social media giant pursues non-invasive brain input devices. While Facebook previously focuses on university research for thought-to-text technology, this purchase provides the company with tangible hardware that translates specific hand movements into digital commands.
CTRL-labs currently offers a developer kit that uses a wrist-worn device to track hand positions as an alternative to camera-based or glove-based solutions. Facebook does not disclose how this acquisition affects existing developers using the CTRL-labs kit, but the integration signals a strong push toward intuitive gesture control for augmented and virtual reality.