Facebook has acquired mind-reading neural wristband startup, CTRL-Labs which is working on devices that can pick up electrical signals from the brain and transmit them to a computer.
The startup has created a wristband that can pick up and interpret signals sent by the brain to the hand, instructing it to move and decode them.
The wrist device can transmit that command – for example, to press a button – to a computer or other device.
It also “captures your intention”, said Facebook VR president Andrew Bosworth.
He said, “So you can share a photo with a friend using an imperceptible movement or just by, well, intending to.”
Facebook has not confirmed a report by CNBC which claimed that the deal was worth between $500m and $1bn (£0.4bn and £0.8bn).
Mr. Bosworth said he hoped the CTRL-Lab team would help Facebook to “build this kind of technology, at scale and get it into consumer products faster”.
There was a mixed response to the news.
Tech commentator, Azeem Azhar said, “Facebook needs to inveigle itself into our lives less, not more.”
Forrester analyst, Fatemeh Khatibloo said, “I’m very curious to see what the response is from regulators and legislators here.”
Underneath Andrew Bosworth’s Facebook post, Josh Chan, founder of an educational app, said the news was exciting.
“As an educator [I’m] imagining how this could transform how we all learn,” he said.
Facebook signaled it could be some time before the product came to market.
“The CTRL-Labs technology is an innovative input that Facebook hopes will be used to significantly improve the upcoming Facebook AR/VR [augmented reality/virtual reality] experiences a few years down the road to fundamentally improve the user experience,” it said.
Facebook may have more to say about the new acquisition on Wednesday at its annual Oculus VR headset event, which the firm acquired in 2014 for around $2bn.
