Google Acquired HTP Resident AIMatter

Google acquired Belarus-based AI company – HTP resident AIMatter.The world's technology giant was attracted by a nifty technology developed by Belarusian engineers.

The AIMatter team presented a technology of separating a person from a background in videos with the possibility to change the background in the autumn of 2016. The technology worked on mobile devices with streaming videos for the first time. It allowed to built a number of visual effects, including a background blur and the Bokeh effect which were introduced into a mobile app called Fabby. Fabby became popular among users and was acclaimed by professionals (for instance, the app became #1 in its category on ProductHunt twice).

"About a year ago I said in an interview that we wanted to make it possible to launch neural networks on a mobile phone. And though such a network is not "smarter" than an aint's brain, it could be used in many different ways. AIMatter is now joining Google so we will be able to do more in the field of neural networks," commented Yury Melnichek, AIMatter co-founder.

Terms of the sale are not being disclosed but an AIMatter spokesperson noted that they are "deeply satisfied" with the deal.

Google has not disclosed where the company hopes to use this technology.