Belkin International, creator of the WeMo home automation ecosystem, has announced plans to expand its Seattle-based software group and create a new research and development team. Dubbed WeMo Labs, the expanded team will work with the University of Washington and focus largely on developing sensing and machine learning technologies for the growing Internet of Things market.
In 2013, Belkin acquired a small local software team through the purchase of wireless networking company Linksys, and in 2010, it acquired Seattle tech start-up Zensi. Zensi’s energy and water sensing technology, based on research from current University of Washington professor Shwetak Patel, spurred the creation of WeMo and helped pivot Belkin into the connected home space. †
“Establishing a larger presence in Seattle and collaborating with the University of Washington is a direct investment in the future of WeMo,” says Chet Pipkin, founder and CEO of Belkin. “We’re looking for this team to help us fast track groundbreaking technologies from the lab to the marketplace, keeping WeMo at the forefront of the Internet of Things.”
