Motorola’s “moonshots” team will find a new home with Android, not Lenovo

One asset not making the move to Lenovo HQ with the rest of Motorola is the cellphone company’s Advanced Technologies and Projects (ATAP) division. That entity will be folded into Google’s Android team, along with its director, Regina Dugan. A spokesperson for Google confirmed this in a statement, saying “Regina and her team will continue their work as part of the Android team so that the entire Android ecosystem can benefit from their innovations.”

As the research arm of Motorola Mobility, ATAP focused on unconventional advancements in mobile technology. Among the more outlandish projects were new authentication methods involving ingestible pills and electronic tattoos. There was also Project Ara, the modular phone concept that has been in the works with partner Phonebloks.

Dugan was appointed to head ATAP shortly before Google completed its acquisition of Motorola, after a stint as the director of the Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (DARPA). While at DARPA she had a focus on cyber security and met some controversy when it was uncovered that she retained financial ties to RedXDefense, a defense contractor that she founded, after she became director.

The mobile focus of ATAP’s research makes it a good fit for the Android team. During a press call today with Lenovo, it was also stated that the Motorola executive team would remain intact through the transition. That so many of that team are ex-Googlers, including CEO Dennis Woodside, could mean several will find their way back at Mountain View once the acquisition is completed.