Speculation is rampant about the future of Google’s incredibly ambitious Project Ara modular phone after news broke a few days ago that the planned 2015 test run in Puerto Rico had been cancelled.
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Electropermanent magnets, in laymans terms, release magnetic fields in bursts from electric currents that can preserve their magnetization, in this case to ensure the modules of a Project Ara smartphone stay in place.
Developed by Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects group (ATAP), the Ara project is a modular smartphone that is economical, ecological and customizable.
First was this specific tidbit tweeted on Wednesday: “No more electropermanent magnets”.
The team followed up that tweet by saying they are testing a “signature system” for attaching and detaching modules. “#ProjectAra #HopeYouLikeIt”.
Now the Project Ara Twitter accounted has shared a tidbit of news that might offer a partial explanation of the delay. The issue sounds like a problem with the various modules when a Project Ara phone is dropped. Despite the project’s delay, many of its partners are already working on modules compatible for the phone.
That means you’ll likely have more slots for batteries, cameras, speakers, wireless chips, or other optional components.
Back in January, Google’s ATAP team outlined how the electropermanent magnets worked.
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Clearly, based on the team’s tweets, that approach isn’t going to work reliably so it has another solution in mind or is quickly finding a potential design workaround.
