Idea Center

The next gadget revolution that everyone is waiting for is Modular Hardware.The Software we use today is modular and upgradable. I can always replace pieces of my word processor (get a better spell checker or a grammar checker) or have my windows game emulator's GUI alone upgraded or have multiple engines installed. (visit http://www.cedega.com.)

This year we have had open source hardware coming in with the "Intellectual Property" (IP - Design Schematics, Prototypes) of such hardware available. We have already had more than two(2) years of Open Chip Designs as www.opencores.org This actually lets us choose the exact Intellectual Property (IP) and therefore function that goes into a chip (in these days usually FPGAs which are most re-configurable.)

What if, Hardware could be upgraded with more features and peripherals or increase connectivity by plugging in a few modules like Lego cubes? The minute I got this idea, the first company I noticed on the web was Bug Labs. They have some nifty products if you look around. Bug Labs is cleverly targeted at the Hardware enthusiast and not the end customer.

How would the end-user benefit from modular hardware?

• If you went to shop for a small home ethernet switch, you could buy a "Power" Module and an "Ethernet Switch" Module and sandwich them together. You connect this to your power and start using this like a normal Ethernet Switch.
• You now want to have a DSL modem. Instead of buying a full-fledged DSL Modem, you go ahead and buy a "DSL Modem" Module that can be plugged to the "Power" Module and "Ethernet Switch" and you get access to DSL while still having your switch.
• Let's say your car stereo, you buy a standard "Car Stereo" module compatibility kit and then add in an MP3 player console module and  a Storage Module. Tomorrow, you buy a DVD Module that can play MP3 songs from CDs and DVDs. You could plug this in directly and use this as the source of your music.
  
• Later all your gadgets still remain "Reconfigurable." Better still you could Re-sell modules you are not using on eBay or some place.
  

The idea could spread to any area where Consumer Hardware is being deployed. There are of course challenges to Hardware manufacturers should they decide to bring modular hardware to the market. Some of the simple things I could think of are:

1. Safety certifications including UL, FCC (inclusive of EMI/EMC Class B), RoHS, QM333 and CE to get a product on a consumer's desktop.
   
2. The standard size of a module in terms of dimensions and form-factor for best modularity and ease of use.
3. Power sourcing modules and the number of modules that can be powered using a single power source module.
4. The Modular bus standard to be used to make modules compatible across manufacturerers to give more value to the user.
5. Providing the ability to build custom products using modules while a standard set of products remain available. With licenses like Creative Commons or just about any other Open Source, a Hardware Device community can be created to share devices with ease. Should they open up the form factor and the connectivity as an open standard?
6. How can the highly customized device be branded? (This is a tough one.)
   

Why Modular Hardware?

• Today we do have technology that can make hardware truly modular. Plug and Play High speed Bus architectures exposed to the consumer like USB or Firewire are available already. The mechanical connectors required for fitting modules is also available today.
  
• No Two users have the same requirement in using a device, say even a telephone except for some basic functions (like making and receiving phone calls.)
• Manufacturing houses are able to cater to smaller and smaller numbers of hardware solutions customized for their consumers. If the growth of the "Product" segment is to grow closer to being customer friendly, then modular hardware might help them manufacture at lower costs but serve customers in a more specific manner.
• For pricing, the thumb rule is the fewer numbers you can mass manufacture; the higher the price paid by the user and vice versa. Modular Hardware could be used to make larger number of modules, but assemble a fewer products focused towards customer needs instead.

I am convinced that if the market is to stay truly consumer focused, they will find that the exact requirement for each customer (this could be an individual, a Small Office/Home Office [SOHO] or a Small or Medium-sized Business [SMB]) difficult to meet. Today most companies try to offer the customer flexibility. We call this "customization." At the very minimum in the SMB/SME/SOHO sectors we are willing to offer custom menus and logos. In the mobile telephony industry, we are willing to offer "Service Provider" specific menus and applications. Unfortunately except for logos and skins, the entire device is not easily customizable in terms of functions.

The next drive to get to the customer will be to get the entire device customizable including its hardware components. So you could potentially buy a device with no USB interface and then 1, 2 or 4 depending on the module you could plug-in. You could have a device with no display and decide to buy a small, medium or large sized Display, which in turn could be  a TFT LCD or an OLED or you name it.