Project Ara more than cell phone, modular design is popular in-Project Ara, modular mobile phone-IT news

Google Project Ara is an ambitious project, but it focus only on top of Smartphone. If it breaks through the mobile phone category, a more general open hardware platform, how can it be? United Kingdom design consultancy Seymourpowell made some guesses. The company has designed a modular mobile phone Fairphone 2, now it envisages all the equipment is modular in the future.

"Generally speaking, specific hardware is very strong," Seymourpowell's Creative Director Matthew Cockerill on the Fastcodesign Web site, "said LG G5 Smartphone with modular components, but it is exclusive, manufactured by the company itself. You will not see Samsung or Apple is involved, because it is the LG system. I think Google is in a special position, may change that ... ... They are trying to model applied to Android hardware. ”

Designers Seymourpowell, the future development and application of new equipment is the same. They envision based on Ara framework of four products:

Move: the printer wheels

Wear: wear wrist biometric testing equipment

Link: networked environment detector

Play: custom DJ Mixer

Advantages of modular systems is that products can be more experimental in nature. Cockerill said the open hardware can significantly lower the threshold for manufacturing new products. Mobile printer seems silly, but it does not require too much capital investment. Perhaps a custom module. "Printer on robots, you might say, ' I don't know if it will have a market '," Cockerill said, "but what if we need to develop a module. Bring it to market requires only $ 100,000. We can be more adventurous. ”

Another advantage of the modular system, the product can continue to evolve. Cokererill imagine a pregnant woman using a wearable device. At first, it is like the Fitbit can be worn on the wrist. When she is about production, contraction signals will be uploaded to the device, and then notifies hospitals. After you arrive at the hospital, equipment to be able to add other modules, provides a variety of information from your doctor. Meanwhile, wearing his familiar devices, user anxiety may be reduced.

"In any medical procedure, most people don't know the progress," Cockerill said, "the psychological factor is very important. ”

Seymourpowell vision equipment can be customized, however, Cokerill that modular equipment should be used as a complete device sales, rather than independence, assembling parts. "In fact, people do not want full choice. They want some combination, "he said," therefore, based on the study and user case, designers and companies should provide the correct combination. Not everyone wants a big box of LEGO, in fact, we like people who are easy to build and transform things. ”

Project Ara不止手机，模块化设计即将风靡 - Project Ara,模块化手机 - IT资讯

Google的Project Ara是个野心勃勃的项目，不过，它的专注点只集中在智能手机上面。如果它突破手机范畴，成为更加通用的开放硬件平台，情况会是如何呢？英国设计咨询公司Seymourpowell作出了一些猜想。这家公司曾经设计过模块化手机Fairphone 2，现在，它设想了一切设备都可以模块化的未来。

“通常来说，硬件的专属性是很强的，”Seymourpowell的创意总监Matthew Cockerill对Fastcodesign网站说，“LG的G5智能手机有模块化部件，但是，它是专属的，由公司自己制造。你不会看到三星或者苹果参与其中，因为它是LG的系统。我觉得，Google处在一个特别的位置，或许可以改变这种状况……他们试图把Android模式应用到硬件上面。”

在Seymourpowell的设计师看来，未来的新设备制造就像是开发应用一样。他们设想了基于Ara外框架的四件产品：

Move：带轮子的打印机

Wear：佩戴到手腕的生物体征检测设备

Link：联网的环境检测器

Play：可定制的DJ混音台

模块化系统的好处在于，产品可以更具实验性质。Cockerill说，开放硬件能够大大降低制造新产品的门槛。移动式打印机看似很愚蠢，但是，它不需要太多的资金投入。或许一个定制模块就可以了。“关于机器人打印机，你可能会说，‘我不知道它是否会有市场，’”Cockerill说，“但是，如果我们只需要开发一个模块呢。把它推向市场仅需要10万美元。我们可以更有冒险精神。”

模块化系统的另一个好处在于，产品能够不断地进化。Cokererill设想了一款孕妇使用的可穿戴设备。一开始，它就像是Fitbit一样，可以佩戴到手腕上。当她即将生产时，宫缩的信号会传到设备上面，然后通知给医院。到了医院之后，设备能够添加其它专用模块，向医生提供多种信息。同时，由于佩戴自己熟悉的设备，用户的焦虑可能会减轻。

“在医疗过程中，大多数人都不知道进展情况，”Cockerill说，“心理因素是非常重要的。”

虽然Seymourpowell设想的设备是可以定制的，不过，Cokerill认为模块化设备应该作为完整的设备销售，而不是独立的、需要组装的部件。“实际上，人们并不想要完全的选择。他们想要的是一些组合，”他说，“因此，基于研究和用户案例，设计者和公司应该提供正确的组合。并非所有人都想要一大盒子的乐高，实际上，我们喜欢的是那些易于构建和改造的东西。”