Intel has acquired Canadian technology firm Recon Instruments, which produces smartglasses and heads-up display solutions for sports.
Both the firms did not disclose the financial terms of the transaction. Recon was started in 2008 and the company released the world’s first consumer heads-up display in 2010.
Recon employs less than 75 people, who will continue selling and improving the company’s existing products. They will also work with Intel’s New Devices Group in the development of smart devices.
The acquisition will help Intel expand the market for head mounted display products and technologies.
Recon co-founder and CEO Dan Eisenhardt said being part of Intel will give his company greater resources to grow and an opportunity to draw from the semiconductor firm’s technology portfolio.
"Going forward, we’ll continue leading the smart eyewear category for sports, and we’ll be able to bring our technology and innovation to completely new markets and use cases where activity-specific information, delivered instantly, can change the game."
Intel said the growth of wearable technology is creating a new playing field for innovation. In the past six months, the company unveiled plans for the Intel Curie module, a hardware product based on its first purpose-built system-on-chip for wearable devices.
The company has formed a R&D collaboration with Luxottica and their Oakley brand to fuse sports eyewear with smart technology.
A partnership with TAG Heuer and Google will be used to launch a Swiss smartwatch powered by Intel technology and Android Wear.
