Moto Mod hackathons yield solar charger, breathalyser

Lenovo’s Moto Z goes a long way to realising the dream of Project Ara, thanks to the presence of Moto Mod hardware add-ons.

These mods included batteries, speakers and projectors at launch, but creative types have been making their own mods at Lenovo-backed hackathons.

Some of the coolest creations at these hackathons include an audio attachment for enthusiasts and a slideout game controller. Now, two hackathons (one in Argentina and one in San Francisco) have yielded even more cool Moto Mods.

The first mod, called Baby Care, delivers “automatic alerts when conditions aren’t ideal for a child”. The developer cited room temperature as one variable which could be monitored (too warm, too cold, just right).

The Moto Z has spawned quite a bit of interest thanks to its mod-based nature, with Lenovo backing a variety of hackathons

Moto Color is the second winning mod, being a colour sensor for the visually challenged that calls out red, green and blue colours.

“An alternative option would be for Moto Color to emit a vibration, which would vary in intensity depending on the colour,” read an excerpt of the description.

One of the more practical mods (on paper) was a solar-powered battery charger, being wireless and capable of fully charging your phone in ten hours.

Diabetic? Then you might be intrigued by the Simple Syrup Moto Mod concept, which tracks your blood-sugar readings.

Finally, there’s the ModCoholic breathalyser concept, which does exactly what you think it does…

“If it detects that you are over the legal limit, ModCoholic automatically asks if you need a taxi,” the description explains.