For as much as Google is known for today, it's easy to forget that Google is also the force behind a hefty number of research projects. Those projects have led to things like wearables and self-driving cars, but the latest news gives a clear idea of where it's going next.
Over the weekend, Google acquired the robotics engineering company Boston Dynamics, which is best known for its robots that creepily mimic the movements of both humans and animals. This is the eighth robotics company that Google has brought on board in the past six months alone.
Yesterday, the New York Times reported that Google recently poached Microsoft engineer and software designer Blaise Agüera y Arcas. Agüera y Arcas was primarily involved in developing projects at Microsoft related to augmented reality, wearable computing, and natural user interfaces, which is right up Google's alley.
Agüera y Arcas was hired on to Microsoft after his company, Seadragon, was bought out by Redmond in 2006. Seadragon later paved the way for technologies like Photosynth, Microsoft's service for creating 3D panoramas, available as both a desktop and mobile app for Windows and iOS. Google currently offers a similar service called Photo Sphere, which the company utilizes for 360-degree imagery in its Maps application.
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