Snap’s hunger for hardware acquisitions evidently hasn’t been satiated, as is clear from today’s news of the purchase of NextMind, a small Paris-based startup focused on brain computer interface tech. But this deal goes beyond Snap’s near-term AR glasses goals.
Snap’s other recent hardware purchases have concerned highly sought-after AR display components and teams responsible for them. But NextMind’s existing tech isn’t something we can expect to see in glasses any time soon. And while NextMind has shipped a comparatively small developer device before, this is a research bet, through and through. And it suggests Snap is putting at least a little faith in brain-sensing—the same concept Meta Platforms dabbled in before pulling back from over the past year.
