Facebook has acquired Nascent Objects, the hardware development firm that aimed to streamline the manufacturing process for gadgets, including 3D-printed hardware. The news was confirmed by both Nascent Objects, and the head of Building 8, Regina Dugan on September 19.
Modular Electronics System
Bay Area-based Nascent Object claims to be the world first modular consumer electronics platform that dedicated to making product development faster, easier, more accessible and affordable for users, compared to traditional prototyping methods.
People have become used to the idea that with software, you can have whatever you want, whenever you want it. We want to make this happen with hardware – and we think Facebook is the best place to make this a reality. (Baback Elmieh, CEO of Nascent Object)
“Nascent Objects … joining Facebook to work with us in Building 8. Together, we hope to create hardware at a speed that’s more like software,”wrote Dugan in her Facebook post, which also included a short video clip of Nascent Objects.
Facebook in the Hardware Game
Nascent will be joining Facebook’s Building 8 lab, which is focused on creating new hardware products with aggressive timelines, quickly move products from concept to shipping state. This could be mutual beneficial to both sides. Building 8 lab’ production capalibities will be beefed up and will surely to build more modular connectivity products with the aid of Nascent Objects. The startup will also get resources and funding from the media giant.
This could be another important step for Facebook to explore the hardware world. In fact, Facebook has go beyond the purely social media trajectory for some time. Facebook-owned Oculus VR acquired 3D printing companies in December, 2014. Facebook is also the first social media site to allow for 3D embeds, preparing itself for the 3D ecosystem that will be shaped in the next couple of years.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed yet, but we expect to see more players as well as bigger progress in this challenging game. After all, the fact that Google’s own Project Ara, which used to build user-reconfigurable smartphonehas have already been suspended may be a little disappointing to us. Anyhow, we will keep up with this news in the future.
Feature Image: Nascent Objects
