Project Ara is Google's initiative to create a highly modular and customizable smartphone platform led by Paul Eremenko. The phone consists of an endoskeleton frame and interchangeable modules that can be swapped out to customize the device. Examples of modules include batteries, cameras, and speakers. The project aims to make hardware innovation more accessible and allow phones to be continually updated and upgraded by users. Some challenges include the potential for size, weight and connectivity issues between modules. Once resolved, a modular design could allow consumers to buy only the features they need and upgrade parts individually, extending the life of their device.
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Google ARA
3. THE PROJECT ARA IS LEAD BY
PAUL EREMENKO
The project was originally
headed by the Advanced
Technologies and Projects
team within Motorola
Mobility while it was a
subsidiary of Google.
5. PROJECT ARA IS
THE CODENAME
FOR AN INITIATIVE
BY GOOGLE
THAT AIMS TO
DEVELOP A FREE ,
OPEN HARDWARE
PLATFORM FOR
CREATING HIGHLY
MODULAR
SMARTPHONES .
It is made up of swappable
and replaceable parts. The
phone is designed to be a
long-term sustainable
product tailored to
customers changing needs .
7. It's a philosophy that's imported from
the Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency (DARPA),where Eremenko and
his boss, Regina Dugan, once worked.
Dugan came to Google in 2012,where she
was put in charge of ATAP , which was
then meant to help reinvigorate the
Motorola division. When Motorola was
sold off to Lenovo in January 2014
Google kept ATAP and Project Ara,
which became Google Ara.
9. PROJECT ARA HAS TWO CORE
COMPONENTS :
1. THE ENDOSKELETON AND
2. THE MODULE
10. The ENDOSKELETON is made of
aluminium to provide strength .
Also it means different sizes and
different types of components can
be added and permits growth of
device from, for example, phone
to phablet, according to Google.
The framework of the
endoskeleton and interchangeable
modules promise to democratize
hardware in the same way that
the app opened up the world of
software.
11. MODULES CAN BE ANYTHING THAT USERS
CAN THINK OF BATTERY , SPEAKER ,
CAMERA , ETC . THEY CAN BE DEVELOPED BY
ANYONE; 3D-PRINTED ON DEMAND, USED,
REPLACED AND EVEN RE-SOLD ENSURING
YOUR PHONE IS COMPLETELY MADE FOR
EACH USER. MODULE DEVELOPMENT IS
OPEN-SOURCE AND THERE IS A TOOLKIT
PROVIDED TO HELP DEVELOPERS
UNDERSTAND THE HIERARCHY
OF FUNCTIONS AND HOW
COMPONENTS CAN BE
INTEGRATED.
12. PROJECT ARA'S PROTOTYPE APPLICATION
PROCESSOR MODULE, WHICH HOUSE THE CPU,
MEMORY, SD CARD SLOT, AND OTHER THINGS.
14. Three new technologies that
make Project Ara work
1. UniPro
2. Capacitive M-PHY
3. ElectroPermanent Magnets
15. THE FIRST IS UNIPRO, WHICH IS A HIGH - SPEED
INTERFACE PROTOCOL THAT PROJECT ARA USES
TO ALLOW ITS MODULES TO SPEAK TO EACH OTHER,
THOUGH THE HARDWARE OF THE ENDO.THEY SHARE
A COMMON LOW-LEVEL LANGUAGE FOR COMMUNICATING
AND BUILDING A NETWORK. THE UNIPRO PROTOCOL
HAS BEEN IN DEVELOPMENT FOR SEVERAL YEARS
AS A WAY TO BUILD A STANDARD FOR MOBILE PHONE
ACCESSORIES--THINK OF IT LIKE THE USB PROTOCOL,
BUT OPTIMIZED FOR MOBILE . ITS DEVELOPMENT IS
OVERSEEN BY THE MIPI ALLIANCE,AN ORGANIZATION
COMPOSED OF OVER 250 MOBILE COMPANIES, AND
PROJECT ARA IS TAPPING INTO THE LATEST UNIPRO
1.6 SPEC, WHICH OFFER HIGH-BANDWIDTH AND LOW
POWER CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE MODULES.
16. EVEN THOUGH THE MODULES KNOW HOW
TO SPEAK TO EACH OTHER, THEY NEED A
WAY TO PHYSICALLY CONNECT TO THE
ENDO. THE SECOND TECHNOLOGY PROJECT
ARA USES IS CAPACITIVE M-PHY, A
PHYSICAL LAYER SPEC ALSO DEVELOPED BY
THE MIPI ALLIANCE AND MADE TO WORK
WITH UNIPRO. FOR PROJECT ARA, M-PHY IS
A CAPACITIVE INTERFACE, WHICH MEANS
THAT THE CONNECTION POINTS WON'T BE
WORN DOWN OVER TIME FROM
SWAPPING MODULES IN AND OUT OF THE
PHONE.
17. THE FINAL TECHNOLOGY IN PROJECT ARA'S
MODULE DESIGN IS THE USE
OF ELECTROPERMANENT MAGNETS FOR
AFFIXING THE MODULES IN PLACE IN THE
ENDO. NORMAL ELECTROMAGNETS
MAGNETIZE DEPENDING ON IF CURRENT IS
RUNNING THROUGH THEM - THAT WOULD
BE A BATTERY DRAIN, BUT
ELECTROPERMANENT MAGNETS ONLY USE
CURRENT TO FLIP MAGNETIZATION ON AND
OFF; IT'S ABLE TO RETAIN ITS MAGNETIZED
STATE WITHOUT DRAINING ADDITIONAL
POWER.
21. 1.SIZE
2.INBUILT BATTERY ALONG
WITH EXTERNAL ONE
3.BUYING MODULES ON AN E-
COMMERCE SITE WHICH
WOULD LOOK LIKE GOOGLE
PLAY STORE
4.MODULES CAN HAVE
MULTIPLE FUNCTIONS
5.LONG LIFE
25. 1.PHONE IS VERY CHEAP
2.YOU ONLY BUY THE
FEATURES THAT YOU
WANT
3.YOUR PHONE COULD
LAST INDEFINITELY
4.REPAIRS ARE EASIER AND
CHEAPER
27. 1.IT WILL BE BIGGER AND HEAVIER
THAN THE STANDARD PHONE
2.THE CONNECTORS ARE BOUND
TO CAUSE PROBLEMS
3.CERTAIN COMBINATIONS WONT
WORK
4.IT WONT BE OPTIMISED
29. THE BENEFITS OF A MODULAR
PHONE WILL BECOME COMPELLING
TO CONSUMERS ONCE ATAP CAN
GET ISSUES OF WEIGHT, BATTERY
LIFE, AND SIZE REDUCED DOWN TO
A CERTAIN POINT . ALSO CUSTOM
ENCLOSURES AND SUPER-CHARGED
BATTERIES MAY APPEAL TO THE
HIGH END OF THE MARKET .
30. 1. ARTICLE ON www.files.tested.com
BY NORMAN CHAN ON APRIL 15, 2014 AT 5:53 P.M.
2. www.marketwatch.com
3. www.phonearena.com
4. www.projectara.com
5. www.techtimes.com