Facebook announced on Monday (Sept. 19) that is its acquiring Nascent Objects, a California startup that is centered on developing modular electronic systems consumers can use to make their own devices.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but on Nascent Objects’ website, the company said it decided to continue its mission at Facebook, confirming the deal.
“Nascent Objects was founded on the principle that product development shouldn’t be so hard. That’s why we created the world’s first modular consumer electronics platform — to make product development fast, easy and accessible,” said the company’s CEO, Baback Elmieh, on its website. “By combining hardware design, circuitry, 3D printing and modular electronics, our technology allows developers to go from concept to product in just weeks, much faster and less expensive than traditional methods.”
Nascent Objects said it decided to join Facebook in order to enable consumers to create devices on a scale they couldn’t have done alone. “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,” added Elmieh.
Nascent will become part of Building 8, which is Facebook’s lab that focuses on speedy prototyping and helping get things to market at a faster rate. Building 8 is a new hardware lab at Facebook run by Regina Dugan, who used to run Google’s advanced technology and products team, according to a report. That team worked on 3D mapping and modular smartphones, the report noted. A Facebook spokesman said in the report that Elmieh will join Facebook, as will other key members of the startup.
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