Google acquires North, to focus strongly for smart glasses

Google has acquired Canadian AR glasses startup North, formerly Thalmic Labs, which is backed by Intel and Amazon, for an undisclosed amount .The company makes smart glasses that display computerized information superimposed over the real world, similar to Google Glass.

As part of the deal, North will wind down operations and join Google's team in Kitchener, Ontario, where it's based. North, which has raised nearly $200 million so far, was founded in 2012 and has developed devices like Myo and Focals.

Google was an early pioneer in the field of augmented reality, where computer-generated images are superimposed over the real world, often in a pair of computerized glasses. Google Glass, one of the first such devices, was unveiled in 2012, but high initial pricing and privacy concerns -- the glasses contained a video camera -- doomed its appeal among consumers. Nonetheless, Google continues to make a version of Google Glass available to enterprises, where it competes with Microsoft’s HoloLens.

Google said that the acquisition would help realize its vision of “ambient computing,” where ubiquitous connected devices work together.

“We’re building towards a future where helpfulness is all around you, where all your devices just work together and technology fades into the background,” Rick Osterloh, senior vice president of devices and services at Google said in a statement. “North’s technical expertise will help as we continue to invest in our hardware efforts and ambient computing future.”