Project Ara is a Google initiative led by Paul Eremenko to develop a modular smartphone platform. The phone consists of an endoskeleton frame and interchangeable modules that can be customized by the user. Modules connect to the frame using new technologies like UniPro and electropermanent magnets. The goal is to make phone hardware upgradable and repairable, allowing users to replace individual components and customize their device as needed. However, some challenges remain around size, weight, and ensuring component compatibility.

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
It is made up of
swappable and
replaceable parts. The
phone is designed to be a
long-term sustainable
product tailored to

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
WON’T WORK

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