Google has been slowly revealing details of Project Ara progress over the past month, set for its debut in January, where the search giant will reveal all the details on how to buy and customize your modular smartphone.

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A new feature coming to Project Ara's module store will be a tracker for blood oxygen levels. This new tracking sensor is being implemented on wearables and some smartphones, and looks to give more health information to the user.

The sensor will have an external interface to press, which will show blood oxygen levels on the phone screen. This would give the health app on the smartphone, most likely Google Fit, immediately show the results.

This is not the only sensor Google is looking to build for the modular smartphone, and opening the store to third party vendors could be a new way for small companies or one-person teams to build sensors for smartphones.

Having an open platform for hardware development might lead to new inventive ways to save battery life or to get information on health or fitness. Other sensors could be used in the home, imagine a smart-home sensor that connects all your smart home devices to one hub, inside Google's interface.

Google has already run competitions for people interested in engineering, technology, hardware and services, to come forward and present their ideas. It is obvious Google is looking for first party inspiration, alongside getting companies like Samsung, Bose and Sharp involved in the design of specific modules.

All of this and more should be available in 2015, but Google is remaining tight lipped about the DARPA-style two year project, until January. Rumor has it the base-model, including a cellular, WiFi module and low-res screen will cost under $50.

TagsProject Ara, google x, modular smartphone, health sensors