In an application filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office, Facebook is exploring the development of a \u2018modular electromechanical device\u2019 (read smartphone) which will allow users to add different components onto a device.
\nThe modular device can incorporate a speaker, microphone, touch display, GPS and function as a phone, Business Insider reported late on Friday.<\/p>\n
Facebook\u2019s hardware lab \u2018Building 8\u2019 which is focused on developing cutting-edge camera and machine learning technology is working on the project.<\/p>\n
The patent noted that millions of devices connected to a server could be loaded with different software based on components that are swapped out.<\/p>\n
\u201cTypically, the hardware components included in the consumer electronics that are considered outdated are still usable. However, the hardware components can no longer be re-used since consumer electronics are designed as closed systems. From a consumer prospective, the life cycle of conventional consumer electronics is expensive and wasteful,\u201d the patent read.<\/p>\n
The device could be made using \u20183D printing\u2019 technology to function as a phone or a music speaker, the report added.<\/p>\n
Not just a \u2018modular\u2019 device, Facebook is reportedly foraying into consumer hardware products that may involve next-gen cameras, augmented reality (AR) devices, drones and even a brain scanning technology.<\/p>\n
At its \u2018Building 8\u2019 facility, the company is working on at least four unannounced consumer hardware products.<\/p>\n
Tech giants like Google and Apple have also been exploring this area.<\/p>\n
However, Google suspended its ambitious modular \u2018Project Ara\u2019 last year.<\/p>\n
The Ara team developed a concept design that reimagined the smartphone as a series of smaller, LEGO-style bricks that could be attached, rearranged and swapped out in seconds, media reports has said.<\/p>\n
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