Google buys Flutter, a gesture recognition startup

Flutter makes a desktop app for controlling various programs through hand motions

Flutter's home page.
Flutter's home page.

Google has acquired Flutter, a gesture recognition company whose technology lets people control music and movies on their desktop by waving their hands.

Flutter makes an application for Mac and Windows machines that lets people control programs like iTunes and Quicktime by capturing gestures using the computer's webcam.

"We will be continuing our research at Google," Flutter CEO Navneet Dalal announced Wednesday on the company's website.

A Google spokeswoman said the company would be supporting Flutter's research. The deal has already closed and terms were not disclosed.

Flutter's team will be joining Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California, to continue their research efforts.

The Flutter app, however, will remain operational. Through an extension to the Chrome browser, it also works with Google's YouTube service, Netflix, Grooveshark and Pandora.

Flutter describes its mission as being "to arm you with the superpower of Flutter so that you too can join the fight against unnatural user interfaces."

The images captured by the webcam don't leave the person's computer and are not saved permanently, Flutter says.

Its technology could potentially be incorporated into any number of Google products, such as its Chromebooks or head-mounted Google Glass system.

Flutter launched in 2010, on a day when the keyboard and mouse were discovered to be "the greatest threat to human-computer interaction since carpal tunnel syndrome," the company said on its site.

Join the newsletter!

Or

Sign up to gain exclusive access to email subscriptions, event invitations, competitions, giveaways, and much more.

Membership is free, and your security and privacy remain protected. View our privacy policy before signing up.

Error: Please check your email address.
Show Comments

Latest Videos

More Videos

More Brand Posts

What are Chris Riddell's qualifications to talk about technology? What are the awards that Chris Riddell has won? I cannot seem to find ...

Tareq

Digital disruption isn’t disruption anymore: Why it’s time to refocus your business

Read more

Enterprisetalk

Mark

CMO's top 10 martech stories for the week - 9 June

Read more

Great e-commerce article!

Vadim Frost

CMO’s State of CX Leadership 2022 report finds the CX striving to align to business outcomes

Read more

Are you searching something related to Lottery and Lottery App then Agnito Technologies can be a help for you Agnito comes out as a true ...

jackson13

The Lottery Office CEO details journey into next-gen cross-channel campaign orchestration

Read more

Thorough testing and quality assurance are required for a bug-free Lottery Platform. I'm looking forward to dependability.

Ella Hall

The Lottery Office CEO details journey into next-gen cross-channel campaign orchestration

Read more

Blog Posts

Marketing prowess versus the enigma of the metaverse

Flash back to the classic film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Television-obsessed Mike insists on becoming the first person to be ‘sent by Wonkavision’, dematerialising on one end, pixel by pixel, and materialising in another space. His cinematic dreams are realised thanks to rash decisions as he is shrunken down to fit the digital universe, followed by a trip to the taffy puller to return to normal size.

Liz Miller

VP, Constellation Research

Why Excellent Leadership Begins with Vertical Growth

Why is it there is no shortage of leadership development materials, yet outstanding leadership is so rare? Despite having access to so many leadership principles, tools, systems and processes, why is it so hard to develop and improve as a leader?

Michael Bunting

Author, leadership expert

More than money talks in sports sponsorship

As a nation united by sport, brands are beginning to learn money alone won’t talk without aligned values and action. If recent events with major leagues and their players have shown us anything, it’s the next generation of athletes are standing by what they believe in – and they won’t let their values be superseded by money.

Simone Waugh

Managing Director, Publicis Queensland

Sign in