Project Ara

Editor's Notes

1. Good afternoon everyone. I am Vishal Yadav with my brother Vipin Yadav and We are going to talk about this amazingly new concept “Project Ara”
2. Project Ara is an envisioned technology and a codename for an initiative by Google that aims to develop an open hardware platform for creating highly modular smartphones.
3. It is made up of different modules inserted into a common frame called endo.
4. Endos are available in 3 diff. sizes- mini, medium and large, the endo you are looking at now is medium sized endo. Endos can hold 6,8 or 9 modules depending on their size. The use of electro-permanent magnets will hold the modules in position. Capacitive pads are provided to power the modules and to provide a connection between them.
5. The modules come in 3 sizes 1x1, 1x2 and 2x2. The modules can be easily removed to update or replace the damaged modules. Each module will perform its own specific function, it can be anything acc. to users need. It is Hot-swappable, means the modules can be replaced without turning the device off. And upon hearing about swappable modules many people may think that the falling of phone may pull the modules apart the sec. they dropped onto a floor. But the good news is that the use of electro-magnets will hold the modules together with a 30 Newton force. No drop or even pulling on the components will be able to knock the modules away from each other.
6. As Vishal said earlier, these modules can be hot-swapped so the changing or replacing the modules will be done in a matter of seconds. The ‘pick and choose’ strategy enables the user to build a phone acc. to his needs. Modules will be available to buy on an online store similar to Google Play store and it will cost between $15-25 each. Due to it’s open hardware platform nature many third party developers, depending on their expertise, can just create modules to deliver their innovation instead of creating entire smartphones. This platform also provides an invaluable opportunity to regain relevance for many companies, who have lost their business due to the advent of smartphones replacing them. They can now produce their own modules and sell the same. Since It’s hardware-independent so performance will never be an issue. And the repairs won't be a hassle as broken or malfunctioning modules can be individually fixed without handing over the whole device. The fixed size endo provides a space-efficient design, keeping the size getting out of control. Simply upgrading individual modules as innovations emerge, it provides longer lifetime cycles for the handset, and potentially reducing electronic waste.
7. First of all, to provide this high level of customizability, Google is willing to sacrifice high-end specs and designs. The Companies which are pouring piles of cash into R&D for developing flexible smartphones that can bend and even fold, it’s difficult to fathom how relevant the current form factors can be once the wave of flexible smartphones hits the market. Till date no mobile operating system currently in the market understands how to deal with modular components, so a heavily modified software interface is necessary for Ara to work. To cope up with this challenge the new Android 5.0 Lollipop is modified to support for the hot-swappable module So the biggest challenge for Project Ara, however, lies in the software optimization. Regardless of all these drawback I’m very happy to inform you that after years of R&D this “Ara” phone is finally going launch today in Puerto Rico. Till then have a look at this quick video.
8. Here’s a quick video