Google picks up gesture-recognition startup Flutter

Google has picked up a gesture-recognition technology startup named Flutter. The company is known for letting the webcam detect motion instead of a completely

Nishtha Kanal|Oct 03, 2013, 11:58:08 IST

Google has picked up a gesture-recognition technology startup named Flutter. The company is known for letting the webcam detect motion instead of a completely new device.

Navneet Dalal, CEO of the three-year-old startup confirmed the acquisition by Google and said that the team will be continuing its research at the company. The company had described its application as “Kinect for OS X” and is available for devices running Windows 7 and up too.

Think: Gesture control for Android and Google Glass

Flutter essentially lets you control your computer using gestures that it detects through webcams. The technology works with the likes of iTunes, Spotify, VLC Player and Rdio. It also works with YouTube, Grooveshark, Pandora and Netflix using a Google Chrome extension.

While the terms of the deal have not been disclosed, TechCrunch has reported that the deal was struck somewhere in the vicinity of $40 million. The startup is a Y Combinator backed one and the gesture technology is the only product that it has. Dalal has been quick to point out that Flutter’s applications will not be affected by the acquisition.

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Even as the announcement has been made, it is not quite clear what Google plans to do with the technology yet, but the possibilities are delicious. We could be looking at gesture control being an integral part in Android, Chromebooks and even Google Glass. While the application was predominantly based around the Mac OS X ecosystem, it has endless possibilities when surrounded by Google’s.

By Nishtha Kanal

Intrigued by all things social, Nishtha will invariably tweet about you. When not tweeting or writing about the next viral video, you will hear her proclaiming her love to Metallica, James Hetfield, Opeth, Akerfeldt and all bands that go 'growl'. She also obsesses about ACP Pradyuman and South Park and you will always find her moving around with a book. Her focus is on all the happening stuff in the tech domain, and she won't hesitate to take a shot at some of the oddball devices that make their way to our labs.