News Summary

Google is reportedly in final negotiations to acquire AdHawk Microsystems, a Waterloo Region startup specializing in eye-tracking technology, for $115 million. AdHawk’s technology, which includes a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) eye tracker and chip, offers significant advantages over camera-based systems, such as requiring less data and providing higher sampling rates. This acquisition aligns with Google’s renewed interest in augmented and virtual reality eyewear, particularly for its Android XR platform. AdHawk’s technology is already integrated into smart glasses and metaverse hardware headsets and is being marketed to clinicians and researchers. The startup has previously received investments from notable companies, including Intel, Sony, Samsung, and HP. The acquisition would bolster Google’s investment in eye-tracking technology, following its past acquisition of parts of HTC’s Vive VR engineering team and Kitchener-based smart glasses maker North.