In a bid to bolster its hardware efforts Google acquires Gecko Design, a mechanical engineering and product design company with experience on products from the likes of HP and and FitBit, for an unspecified sum. 

Following acquisition Gecko will join the Google X, the skunkworks division behind "moon shot" projects such as the Google Glass headset, driverless cars, smart contact lenses and the Loon high-altitude wifi balloon project. 

"This is an incredible opportunity for everyone at Gecko," Gecko founder Jacques Gagne says. "We are very excited and honored to join Google X and work on a variety of cutting edge projects."

Founded on 1996, Gecko has worked with industrial design firms such as Frog Design and Yves Béhar’s Fuseprojects for clients including Jawbone, FitBit, HP, Dell and Logitech. 

Google is still to release more specifics on the deal. 

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