The firm will join Facebook’s Reality Labs team following the acquisition.

Founded in 2015, New York-based CTRL-Labs is developing a wristband that translates brain signals into commands that can be interpreted by computers.

Andrew Bosworth, the head of augmented and virtual reality at Facebook, said the social network wants to "build this kind of technology, at scale, and get it into consumer products faster".

By translating electrical signals sent to the hand muscles into a digital signal that can be understood by devices, the wristband will give people more control over their digital life, Bosworth said in a post announcing the deal.

He added: "It captures your intention so you can share a photo with a friend using an imperceptible movement or just by intending to."

The value of the acquisition has not been disclosed, but Bloomberg reported that Facebook is paying between $500m and $1bn.