The problem with wearable technology, and really all technology, is that each gadget is only unto itself. This means that, if something breaks on the gadget, or if you just want to update something, you have to go out and buy the newest model, whatever expensive, shiny new iteration the company has put out there to empty your wallets. Modular technology is saying no to all of that. The idea behind modular tech is to make gadgets out of interchangeable and fully replaceable parts so you only buy what you need and if you need something else you need only buy the attachment and not a whole new device. It’s quite the novel idea and, of course, would be perfectly suited for wearable technology.
Toshiba, makers of electronics the world over, are aware of that fact and have just unveiled something called Project Ara. This is their very own modular technology platform, for use in wearable technology as well as smartphones and the like. Even cooler is pieces can move from smartphone to wearable gadget with ease. The idea they show off is an activity tracker mod that goes from a smartphone to a dedicated fitness tracker with ease. It really could revolutionize how we think of wearable and mobile tech. Instead of carrying around multiple gadgets everywhere, we’ll only carry around pieces of stuff which can go together like building blocks to create whatever we want.
The idea is still in its infancy, as far as Toshiba goes. However, they seem to be putting a lot of money and thought into this idea so it probably won’t be too long before a line of Ara-enabled devices hit the market. We’ll let you know when that happens.
