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Thalmic Labs

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Thalmic Labs
Information
Industry Wearable technology, human-computer interfaces, smart glasses
Founded 2012
Founder Stephen Lake, Matthew Bailey, Aaron Grant
Headquarters Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Notable Personnel Stephen Lake (co-founder and CEO)
Products Myo, Focals by North
Parent Google (from 2020)
Website https://www.bynorth.com/ (defunct)


Thalmic Labs was a Canadian wearable technology company from the Kitchener-Waterloo region of Ontario that made the Myo gesture control armband and, after rebranding as North in October 2018, the Focals smart glasses. It was founded in 2012 by three University of Waterloo mechatronics engineering graduates, Stephen Lake, Matthew Bailey and Aaron Grant.[1][2] Google acquired the company on 30 June 2020.[3]

Both of the company's products were wearable interfaces. Myo read the electrical activity of forearm muscles through electromyography and turned hand gestures into computer input, and Thalmic showed it controlling virtual arms with the Oculus Rift.[4][5] Focals were custom-fitted glasses, available with prescription lenses, with a transparent holographic display that only the wearer could see; the co-founders later described the system as direct retinal projection.[2][6] The Myo patents were sold to CTRL-labs in 2019 and passed to Facebook when it bought CTRL-labs later that year.[7][8]

Reviewed 15 October 2026. Founding, funding rounds, Myo and Focals dates and prices, rename, Intel portfolio purchase, layoffs and federal funding, patent sales, Google acquisition and wind-down checked against the cited press, government, Google, patent, PLOS ONE and archived North sources. About review dates.

History

Founding and Myo

Thalmic Labs took part in the Y Combinator Winter 2013 batch.[4][9] When it introduced the armband, then styled "MYO", on 25 February 2013, it had 11 employees and had raised US$1.1 million in seed funding, with backers including ATI Technologies founder Lee Lau. Pre-orders opened at US$149, and the company published an API for third-party developers.[4] In June 2013 it raised a US$14.5 million Series A round led by Spark Capital and Intel Capital, with Formation 8, First Round Capital and FundersClub also taking part; by then it had more than 30,000 pre-orders.[10] Two former BlackBerry executives joined in August 2013: Mike Galbraith as chief financial officer and David Perston as vice president of manufacturing.[11]

In March 2014 Thalmic released a demo of its in-house Oculus Rift support, in which Myo mapped the wearer's arm movements onto virtual arms in a game.[5] Myo Developer Kits began shipping in July 2014, when pre-orders had passed 40,000 units.[12] On 2 March 2015 Thalmic announced that the armband was on sale on Amazon.com for US$199; the release gave the company's headquarters as Waterloo.[13]

Researchers also used the armband as a low-cost surface electromyography sensor: a 2017 PLOS ONE study found that two Myo armbands together classified hand movements about as well as a Cometa research system and somewhat below a Delsys Trigno system, at less than one thirtieth of their cost.[14]

Series B and the move to smart glasses

On 19 September 2016 Thalmic announced a US$120 million Series B round led by Intel Capital, the Amazon Alexa Fund and Fidelity Investments Canada. It said it employed "over 100 engineers, researchers, and creators" and planned to hire in Kitchener-Waterloo and San Francisco. The company did not name the products it was developing.[1][15]

Thalmic's display patents from this period describe a wearable head-up display built from a scanning laser projector and a holographic combiner in the lens. US patent 9,989,764, filed by Thalmic Labs with a priority date of 17 February 2015 and granted on 5 June 2018, covers splitting the laser light so that the combiner focuses it to several separate exit pupils, which enlarges the eye box.[16] A patent assigned to North, with a priority date of 30 November 2016, adds an infrared laser to the same projector for eye tracking, using a photodetector to pick up reflections from the cornea.[17]

Rename to North and Focals

In October 2018 Thalmic stopped selling Myo. Co-founder Stephen Lake said its next product was "entirely different" and needed the company's "full attention and focus", and existing owners kept their support.[18] On 23 October 2018 the company, now called North, opened pre-orders for Focals at US$999 (CA$1,299), sold through appointments at showrooms in Brooklyn and Toronto. The release said North had raised more than US$140 million from investors including the Amazon Alexa Fund and Intel Capital.[2][19]

On 13 November 2018 the Government of Canada announced a CA$24 million investment from its Strategic Innovation Fund toward a CA$130 million North project to expand its Waterloo facility and production systems. The government said North employed about 450 people in Kitchener-Waterloo, plus a 10-person office in San Francisco, and built Focals in a 56,000-square-foot facility in Waterloo.[20] On 17 December 2018 North said it had bought Intel's smart glasses technology portfolio, including intellectual property and assets from Intel's "Superlight" consumer augmented reality glasses project, and said the deal would give it nearly 650 patents and patent applications by the end of the year. Press coverage identified the portfolio as that of Intel's Vaunt glasses.[21][22]

North delivered the first Focals to customers in Brooklyn and Toronto on 24 January 2019, after making each pair at its Waterloo plant.[23] In early 2019 North cut the Focals price from US$999 to US$599,[24] and in February 2019 it laid off a reported 150 of its more than 400 employees; Lake said the company was "faced with some tough decisions" and wanted enough runway for the next 18 to 24 months.[25][26] The federal government then suspended further payments from the Strategic Innovation Fund contribution. The Logic later reported, from documents it obtained, that CA$9.5 million had been paid before the suspension and that internal memos said the layoffs and unspecified project changes breached the contribution agreement.[26][27]

In June 2019 North sold the Myo patents, covering electromyography applications as well as software and human-computer interaction inventions, to the New York startup CTRL-labs for an undisclosed price. Lake said he was "glad to see the IP go to a great new home with Ctrl-labs."[7] Facebook announced in September 2019 that it was buying CTRL-labs for its Facebook Reality Labs group, and TechCrunch noted that the Myo patents came with it.[8]

On 10 December 2019 North ended production of the first Focals and announced Focals 2.0 for 2020, claiming a lighter design and a display "10x improved". North had not disclosed sales figures.[28] In June 2020 The Globe and Mail reported, citing a person close to sales operations, that it was unlikely North had sold many more than 1,000 pairs, and that it had halved its monthly spending to US$3 million.[24]

Acquisition by Google

Google's senior vice president of devices and services, Rick Osterloh, announced on 30 June 2020 that Google had acquired North, "a pioneer in human computer interfaces and smart glasses". He wrote that North's technical expertise would help Google's hardware work and its "ambient computing" plans, and that the team would join Google's existing office in Kitchener-Waterloo.[3] Google did not disclose the price; The Globe and Mail had reported a figure of US$180 million.[29][24] TechCrunch put North's total funding since 2012 at nearly US$200 million.[29]

In their farewell post the three co-founders wrote that they were "winding down Focals 1.0" and would "not be shipping Focals 2.0". North said customer support would continue through the end of 2020.[6] Software support for Focals ended on 31 July 2020, and North refunded the full price of Focals purchases.[29]

Products

Product Type Key dates Notes
Myo EMG gesture control armband Announced 25 February 2013; developer kits shipped July 2014; on Amazon.com 2 March 2015; sales ended October 2018 Pre-order price US$149, retail US$199[4][12][13][18]
Focals Smart glasses with Loop ring controller Pre-orders 23 October 2018; first deliveries 24 January 2019; production ended December 2019 Launch price US$999 (CA$1,299); custom-fitted, prescription lenses offered[2][23][28]
Focals 2.0 Smart glasses Announced 10 December 2019; cancelled June 2020 Never shipped[28][6]

XR work

Thalmic's work touched virtual and augmented reality in two ways. Myo was an input device for VR and wearable computing: the company built its own Oculus Rift integration in 2014.[5] TechCrunch later wrote that Thalmic had designed Myo for future ambient computing platforms but that compatible devices, such as VR headsets and Google Glass, were not yet mature, which led it to make its own glasses.[29] Its display patents describe glasses built on laser beam scanning and holographic combiners, and in 2018, as North, it bought Intel's Vaunt smart glasses portfolio.[16][21][22] Its EMG input patents later passed to Facebook's Reality Labs through the CTRL-labs acquisition.[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Thalmic Labs receives a US $120-million boost". Waterloo Engineering News. University of Waterloo. 2016-09-19. https://uwaterloo.ca/engineering/news/thalmic-labs-receives-us-120-million-boost. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Introducing Focals: Stylish Smart Glasses for Everyday Wear". North. North Inc.. 2018-10-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20190202101957/https://www.bynorth.com/press-room/introducing-focals. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Rick Osterloh (2020-06-30). "Our focus on helpful devices: Google acquires North". The Keyword. Google. https://blog.google/products/hardware/focus-helpful-devices-google-acquires-north/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Ryan Lawler (2013-02-25). "Y Combinator-Backed Thalmic Labs Introduces MYO, A $149 Armband For Gesture Control". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2013/02/25/thalmic-labs-myo/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Darrell Etherington (2014-03-14). "Watch Thalmic Integrate The Myo Armband And Oculus Rift To Get Your Hands In The Game". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2014/03/14/watch-thalmic-integrate-the-myo-armband-and-oculus-rift-to-get-your-hands-in-the-game/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "North + Google". North. North Inc.. 2020-06-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20200805003706/https://www.bynorth.com/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Kyle Wiggers (2019-06-27). "Ctrl-labs acquires Myo armband patents from North, joins OpenXR working group". VentureBeat. https://venturebeat.com/2019/06/27/ctrl-labs-acquires-myo-armband-patents-from-north-joins-openxr-working-group/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Lucas Matney (2019-09-23). "Facebook buys startup building neural monitoring armband". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/23/facebook-buys-startup-building-neural-monitoring-armband/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  9. ↑ "North". Y Combinator. https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/north. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  10. ↑ Darrell Etherington (2013-06-05). "Thalmic Labs Raises $14.5M To Make The MYO Armband The Next Big Thing In Gesture Control". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2013/06/05/thalmic-labs-raises-14-5m-to-make-the-myo-armband-the-next-big-thing-in-gesture-control. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  11. ↑ Darrell Etherington (2013-08-14). "Thalmic Labs Gets Two Ex-BlackBerry Execs (Including One Who Just Left) To Help The MYO Armband Succeed". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2013/08/14/thalmic-labs-gets-two-ex-blackberry-execs-including-one-who-just-left-to-help-the-myo-armband-succeed. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Ian Hardy (2014-07-30). "Thalmic Labs begins shipping Myo Developer Kit, says pre-orders topped 40,000 units". MobileSyrup. https://mobilesyrup.com/2014/07/30/thalmic-labs-begins-shipping-myo-developer-kit-says-pre-orders-topped-40000-units/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Myo(TM) Gesture Control Armband Now Available on Amazon.com". Yahoo Finance. Thalmic Labs. 2015-03-02. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/myo-tm-gesture-control-armband-140000763.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  14. ↑ Stefano Pizzolato, Luca Tagliapietra, Matteo Cognolato, Monica Reggiani, Henning Müller, Manfredo Atzori (2017). "Comparison of six electromyography acquisition setups on hand movement classification tasks". PLOS ONE, vol. 12, no. 10, e0186132. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0186132. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  15. ↑ Darrell Etherington (2016-09-19). "Thalmic Labs teases new products with $120M raise from Amazon Alexa Fund and more". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/19/thalmic-labs-teases-new-products-with-120m-raise-from-amazon-alexa-fund-and-more/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Stefan Alexander, Matthew Bailey, Vance R. Morrison, Lloyd Frederick Holland, Joshua Moore (2018-06-05). "US9989764B2 - Systems, devices, and methods for eyebox expansion in wearable heads-up displays". Google Patents. https://patents.google.com/patent/US9989764B2/en. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  17. ↑ Idris S. Aleem, Mayank Bhargava (2019-09-10). "US10409057B2 - Systems, devices, and methods for laser eye tracking in wearable heads-up displays". Google Patents. https://patents.google.com/patent/US10409057B2/en. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Jon Fingas (2018-10-13). "Thalmic axes Myo gesture armband to make 'entirely different' product". Engadget. https://www.engadget.com/2018-10-13-thalmic-stops-myo-gesture-armband-sales.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  19. ↑ Jessica Galang (2018-10-23). "North (Thalmic) confirms pricing and availability for its smart glasses". BetaKit. https://betakit.com/north-thalmic-confirms-pricing-and-availability-for-its-smart-glasses/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  20. ↑ "Government of Canada supports high-growth technology manufacturing in Kitchener-Waterloo". Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. Government of Canada. 2018-11-13. https://www.canada.ca/en/innovation-science-economic-development/news/2018/11/government-of-canada-supports-high-growth-technology-manufacturing-in-kitchenerwaterloo.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 "North Expands Smart Glasses Expertise with Acquisition of Intel's Smart Glasses Technology Portfolio". North. North Inc.. 2018-12-17. https://web.archive.org/web/20190419165834/https://www.bynorth.com/press-room/north-acquires-intel-vaunt. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Shruti Shekar (2018-12-17). "North acquires Intel Vaunt AR glasses' patents and technology". MobileSyrup. https://mobilesyrup.com/2018/12/17/north-acquires-intel-vaunt-ar-glasses-patents-and-technology/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "North Celebrates First Official Customer Shipment of Focals, Planned Expansion to New Markets Through Mobile Pop-Ups". North. North Inc.. 2019-01-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20190419165830/https://www.bynorth.com/press-room/focals-now-shipping. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Abner Li (2020-06-25). "Alphabet reportedly buying North after 'minuscule' Focals smart glasses sales". 9to5Google. https://9to5google.com/2020/06/25/alphabet-north-focals/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  25. ↑ Patrick O'Rourke (2019-02-22). "Focals creator and Waterloo startup North lays off 150 employees". MobileSyrup. https://mobilesyrup.com/2019/02/22/focals-creator-and-waterloo-startup-north-lays-off-150-employees/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Meagan Simpson (2019-02-22). "North lays off a reported 150 employees, government suspends investment". BetaKit. https://betakit.com/north-lays-off-a-reported-150-employees/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  27. ↑ Murad Hemmadi (2020-02-26). "North received $9.5 million from Ottawa's flagship innovation fund before layoffs, memos show". The Logic. https://thelogic.co/news/exclusive/north-received-9-5-million-from-ottawas-flagship-innovation-fund-before-layoffs-memos-show/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 Darrell Etherington (2019-12-10). "North ending production of current Focals smart glasses to focus on Focals 2.0". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2019/12/10/north-ending-production-of-current-focals-smart-glasses-to-focus-on-focals-2-0/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 Darrell Etherington (2020-06-30). "Google acquires smart glasses company North, whose Focals 2.0 won't ship". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2020/06/30/google-acquires-smart-glasses-company-north-whose-focals-2-0-wont-ship/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
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