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they did not want anyone to know

Google secretly acquired sensor maker Lumedyne last year.

The acquisition will come in handy for when the search engine giant rolls out its self-driving cars
Last year, Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) made an acquisition which it does not want to make public.

The company in question is Lumedyne Technologies, a startup in the business of making micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) sensors. It was launched in 2006 by Brad Chisum and Richard Waters under the brand name Omega Sensors.

The report which was first released by Xconomy states that unnamed sources have confirmed Google indeed bought the San Diego-based startup. The startup invents sensors capable of keeping track of directional changes, say in an autonomous car.

The search engine giant acquired the company in November last year for $85 million, and the buyout was possible after the startup showed Google its working prototype – an all new invention based on accelerometer-based technology. While the sensors are meant to be installed in smartphones and other robotic categories, they can very well be used in the navigation systems of Google’s self-driving cars.

The new sensors were also demonstrated at the Automotive Sensors and Electronics Expo in Detroit in 2013. What sets Lumedyne Technologies apart from other companies making and developing accelerometers is that Lumedyne’s technology gives almost the precise location of a user’s device.

“One of the big problems with accelerometers today is that once you walk into a building and lose GPS, the accelerometer starts to drift,” the source said to Xconomy, adding: “It’s designed to track your location by measuring your direction and turns, but you might end up on one side of a building and it thinks you’re on the opposite side. By the end of the day you could be off by hundreds of meters or even miles.”

The source stated that the way Lumedyne’s sensors work is that they draw little power and are cheaper to manufacture. Google and its affiliates were unavailable for comment when asked about the buyout. Meanwhile, Lumedyne CEO Chisum stated that the acquirer for his startup “is not public and has not been disclosed.”
It’s possible the search engine giant is trying to make its autonomous cars more ready to be rolled out on the streets, while the development of this project has always been kept a secret. Though Lumedyne’s acquisition might not be made public, its sensors will likely make an appearance under the hood.

What did I learn?

Unlike the M & A of the algo folks, xsens, the AMS sensor buys, this one has NOT been made public. The ecosystem will note it and
will make sure to make moves of their own.

The smartphone industry has come to realize that GPS alone is not a reliable source of position information in indoor and urban enviroments. By integrating Lumedyne’s TDS sensors, users get substantial benefits to position accuracy at reduced system level power consumption.

Indoor location may get a boost here, it would go well with the S3?

I could not find the number of employees, but may be less than 10, with the prototypes only to show and now they are GONE.

It will help accelerate the brisk M & A pace?