Google Project Ara : A vision for a $50 Lego-esque smartphone.

 Parts of a functional Google Project Ara prototype

When Google sold off Motorola to Lenovo, everyone thought why did Google sell it off? But Google still kept a key part of Motorola : It’s Advanced Technology and Research group .

Phonebloks concept

Motorola collaborated with PhoneBloks to create Project Ara, a modular smartphone.

 Why is a modular smartphone required?

Smartphones are evolving fast. Too fast. The flagship smartphone of a company becomes outdated within an year. Customers are forced to upgrade and ownership cost increases. This also causes damage to the environment as the older smartphones are thrown away. Not recycled.

Here comes in the idea of a modular smartphone: What if only the basic structure of a smartphone is provided : You can then choose out the rest of the parts according to your needs.

For eg: If you are a photographer, you can choose a better camera, if you are a gamer, you can choose a chipset with more power and so on.

These parts attach to the structure using a special mechanism. And when you think your parts are outdated, you can just buy individual parts and attach them to the structure, removing previous one. Ownership costs are reduced, as you are only buying individual upgrades, not a whole new smartphone.

Google Project Ara

                                                An assembled Google Project Ara protoype. Notice the silver lined spaces . They separate the parts. You can just pull out something and replace it with something else.

As Google still owns Motorola’s Advanced Technology and Projects group, Google has access to all of Motorola’s R&D, including Project Ara.

Google aims to bring the cost of the basic structure down to $50. The Basic structure includes the frame, some circuitry for enabling the modules to talk with each other, a tiny back up battery and  some stuff to secure the modules.

The basic structure will then be shipped around the world. Consumers choose their parts according to their needs and take home a completely customized smartphone.  They will also be able to customize the software completely using an onboard app.

Doug Aamoth / TIME

A prototype Project Ara module, without its enclosure. Picture from  TIME’s Project ARA overview

The modules may be basic modules like : Camera, battery, screen etc or advanced specialized ones like eye scanners, etc. The advanced modules are created for special purposes.

The basic structure contains spaces for modules of different sizes regardless of functionality. Modules are attached in a snap-on way, like Legos. After attaching, the modules are secured

Project Ara goes about the task of keeping modules firmly secured in two ways:

The modules on the front of the structure are secured through latches

Modules on the back are kept together with electropermanent magnets.

When the time comes to upgrade, the customers will go to special kiosks where they choose and upgrade their parts selectively.

Google is holding a Project Ara developers conference this spring. The whole Project Ara concept is kinda like assembling Lego blocks : You stack them up and replace stuuff you don’t like with something better.

The thing that is helping bring the cost down is 3D printing, which reduces cost of mass production.

The project is downright ambitious and has “Google” stamped all over it. It will still be sometime before the base cost comes down to $50 and starts shipping: But when it does, it has the potential to revolutionize smartphones.

UPDATE : We have done an MWC 2014 roundup where we have rounded up all of MWC 2014’s news in one place for your convenience. Do check it out!