Google's Skybox Acquisition for $500M Could Pave Path for Self-Driving Cars

By Prarthito
|

Google is following the trend all its competitors have been busy with for the past few months. The trend involves, well, buying stuff (or start-ups in this instance), and Google has jumped on to the bandwagon by spending $500 million in buying real-time, high-resolution satellite imagery start-up Skybox.

 

According to Google, the company plans to use Skybox-fueled satellites to "keep Google Maps accurate with up-to-date imagery." Google also says in a blog post that Skybox could help it bring access to Internet to remote areas while helping with disaster relief.

 
Google's Skybox Acquisition Could Pave Path for Self-Driving Cars

However, speculation is something that makes the tech industry roll forward. And now there are several specualtions that Google might have just made the Skybox acquisition to further fuel its ambitions with its brand new self-driving cars.

Just recently, a video was uploaded by Skybox to YouTube showing the potential of its satellite imagery service. Apparently, the video also purports to show an individual car driving around a nuclear facility in North Korea.

Recommended: Oppo Find 7a Launched With 5.5 Inch Full HD Display in India For Rs 31,990Recommended: Oppo Find 7a Launched With 5.5 Inch Full HD Display in India For Rs 31,990

A recent Quartz report stated that "it's interesting to speculate about other uses for this technology. Google, whose stated mission is to 'organize the world's information,' will control all kinds of new data worth examining-including 'timely, high fidelity imagery and infinite analytics'-about how the world is actually working."

As far as Skybox itself is concerned, the start-up writes: "We've built and launched the world's smallest high­-resolution imaging satellite, which collects beautiful and useful images and video every day."

Recommended: Top 10 Massively Rumored Smartphones To Launch in 2014Recommended: Top 10 Massively Rumored Smartphones To Launch in 2014

"We have built an incredible team and empowered them to push the state­-of­-the-­art in imaging to new heights. The time is right to join a company who can challenge us to think even bigger and bolder, and who can support us in accelerating our ambitious vision."

Skybox, founded in 2009, said Google will "support us in accelerating our ambitious vision."

Best Mobiles in India

Best Phones

Get Instant News Updates
Enable
x
Notification Settings X
Time Settings
Done
Clear Notification X
Do you want to clear all the notifications from your inbox?
Yes No
Settings X
X