Facebook Buys Israeli Startup Pebbles Interfaces

Another acquisition for Facebook in Israel: the social network has signed this morning an agreement to acquire Israeli based start-up Pebbles Interfaces. Facebook will integrate the body gesture recognition and control technology in virtual reality glasses Oculus Rift.

Pebbles Interfaces was founded in 2010 by Emil Alon Nadav Grossinger and Doron Levit.

Pebbles has about 50 employees in Israel. Following the acquisition, Pebbles Interfaces will be joining the hardware engineering and computer vision teams at Oculus to help advance virtual reality, tracking, and human-computer interactions.

Based in Israel, Pebbles Interfaces has spent the past five years developing technology that uses custom optics, sensor systems and algorithms to detect and track hand movement. Over time, technology breakthroughs in sensors will unlock new human interaction methods in VR and revolutionize the way people communicate in virtual worlds.

Up to now the company raised about $20 million from Israeli venture fund Giza Israel, Robert Bosch Investment Fund, SanDisk, iNetworks as well as XiaoMi and Shunwei from China. XiaoMi is the most notable Chinese mobile and consumer product developer and Shunwei is Lei Jun venture arm.