Facebook acquires modular consumer hardware maker Nascent Objects

It seems Facebook is really serious about its hardware goals with its latest acquisition of Nascent Objects, a startup that creates modular hardware for all electronic needs. “We want to make this happen with hardware”, said Nascent CEO Baback Elmieh in a statement revealing the Facebook acquisition.

It’s unclear whether Facebook wants to use the Nascent design for rapid prototyping of its own work, or whether it wants the company in order to develop its ideas to take directly to market.

Facebook confirmed the acquisition to Kurt Wagner of Re/code, saying that Elmieh and “other key members” of Nascent Objects were joining the company.

Facebook long ago grew beyond its purely social media roots, but hardware is an entirely new space for a company much better known for app development and digital advertising.

Other hire-profile hires at Facebook’s Building 8 include Rich Heley from electric auto maker Tesla, who joined in July. The group is led by Regina Dugan, who was recruited in April from Google, but who also used to work at the US Department of Defense.

“We’re excited to build products that can open the world to everyone and create on a scale we couldn’t have imagined before”. Google experimented with hardware quite some time ago, moving past its search and advertising beginnings, so in a way Building 8 might be Facebook’s way to remain fresh while still keeping up with one of its main digital marketing competitors.

Or as Dugan puts it, “Together, we hope to create hardware at a speed that’s more like software”. The company also ensures that users without any particular electronics manufacturing expertise or an engineering degree, could be able to to design and prototype new products easily.

The startup specialises in “modular electronics”, which allows to swap out interchangeable hardware parts.

According to CNet, Facebook is seriously involved in the hardware business now.

However, Dugan offered a small hint of what the acquisition will bring to Facebook. The campaign, which has seen several roadblocks, aims to widen the social network’s worldwide reach.

Nascent will be incorporated into Facebook’s Xerox-Parc-style Building 8 development laboratory (although Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg prefers to liken it to DARPA).