Qualcomm plans to bring gesture tech to Snapdragon

Chip maker Qualcomm is focusing on integrating gesture technology into its smartphone chips following the acquisition of technology from GestureTek.

The deal — details of which are unknown — gives Qualcomm ownership of "certain intellectual property assets related to gesture technology", as well as engineering resources, the company announced on Tuesday.

"Our acquisition of key technology and assets from GestureTek will strengthen Qualcomm's smartphone product portfolio and enable our customers to launch products with new and compelling user experiences," Steve Mollenkopf, executive vice president at Qualcomm, said in a statement.

Following the acquisition, the gesture recognition technology will be introduced into current and next-generation Snapdragon-based products, Qualcomm said.

Qualcomm is not the only company looking to push gesture control technology into mobile products such as smartphones and tablets.

At Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2011, Israeli-based start-up called Extreme Reality demonstrated gesture control on a mobile that allowed a user — at close-range — to zoom in or out of photographs by turning their clenched fist. It also demonstrated a longer-range technology that allowed users to flip through the photo album using sweeping arm movements from a few feet away.