Case Study

Project Ara

The modular phone from Google

LeafLabs collaborated with Google on Project Ara, building embedded systems and modular interfaces for the world’s first open hardware smartphone.

 

Meet the Client: Google ATAP

Google ATAP (Advanced Technology and Projects) is an experimental division within Google known for incubating high-risk, high-reward ideas at the intersection of hardware, software, and advanced manufacturing. Formed originally at Motorola Mobility and later integrated into Google, ATAP operates more like a DARPA-style innovation lab than a traditional product team — with aggressive timelines, multidisciplinary teams, and a mission to turn science fiction into reality. Project Ara, their boldest foray into modular smartphone design, aimed to redefine how mobile devices are built, upgraded, and personalized; creating a fully customizable platform for hardware innovation.

The Visionary Lab Behind Project Ara

Google, with LeafLabs’ expertise in embedded design, revolutionized the smartphone through Project Ara, a modular smartphone designed to snap together like Legos.

Allowing users to customize their smartphone in an instant is no small feat. The idea was bold and technically challenging, requiring excellent power efficiency, seamless module swapping, and exceptionally fast data-transfer rates.

LeafLabs was responsible for capabilities including: Mobile development, Android development, Linux Kernel development, Distributed Systems expertise, Communications Protocol implementation, Technical Leadership,  Project Management

 

Project Ara wasn't just another phone; it was a new way to look at how we use devices. 

LeafLabs joined Project Ara before it was clear what exactly a modular smartphone should be or even could be. After helping to create the software development plan and with the recruitment of key partners to help execute it, LeafLabs led the firmware development for all of Project Ara. 

We collaborated closely with partners around the world. This included software leaders of the Android and Linux Kernel community, as well as major corporations such as Toshiba.

 

Project Ara in the News

 
“It’s been years since we’ve had anything like true experimentation and newness in smartphones.”
— Wired
 
“A developer edition running Android with a 5.3-inch screen is shipping this fall, while a consumer version of the phone will be available some time in 2017. To get your hands on a device this year, you have to head over to ATAP’s dedicated Ara website and fill out the form indicating what type of module you’d like to develop for the phone.”
— The Verge