Google is reportedly planning to acquire Canada-based eye-tracking startup Adhawk Microsystems Inc.
As reported by Bloomberg’s People with knowledge of the issue say Google’s Mark Garman has been buying Adhawk for $115 million.
The transaction is said to include $15 million in future payments based on an eye-opening company reaching performance targets. The acquisition is said to end this week, but the deal has not yet been signed and there is doubt. Additionally, if a transaction is made, the report keeps Adhawk staff members on Google’s Android XR team.
This is not the first time Adhawk has cheated on a acquisition by a key XR player. 2022, Bloomberg The company reported that it was in the final stages of its acquisition by Meta.
In particular, Adhawk is best known for its eye tracking innovation, which replaces traditional cameras with microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).
Its flagship product, Mind Link Glasses, is a research-centric device aimed at linking eye movements with neurological and eye health, human behavior and mental state, the company says on its website. Additionally, the company offers camera-free eye-tracking modules for researchers operating VR devices such as the Meta Quest.
Neither Google nor Adhawk commented on the report, but Google has increased its XR division and is competing with Meta and Apple, among others.
In December, Google announced the Android XR, marking a critical shift in the company’s XR efforts, as the company brings the “full fat” version of Android into the headset for the first time, including a full slate of Android content as well as XR-specific apps. Android XR is scheduled to debut on Samsung’s project Moohan Mixed Reality Headset, with no release date or price yet.
Then, in January, Google announced the acquisition of many HTC XR engineers. This reached $250 million. At the time, Google said HTC veterans would “accelerate the development of the Android XR platform across the headset and glasses ecosystem.”
In addition to supporting Android XR software efforts, the acquisition of new eye-tracking startups proves valuable to the long-standing company’s XR hardware efforts.
Google has immediately cancelled many XR projects in the past, including the 2019 Daydream VR platform, the 2023 Google Glass for Enterprise, and the 2024 Iris AR Glasses project.
