"With fresh ideas, a large number of makers have spared no effort to save the world and benefit mankind from agriculture, ecology, transportation and other fields. This paper summarizes the top ten open source hardware projects that will save the earth. Although maker is good, it is not easy to save the earth, and do and cherish it.
We have talked about the earth crisis for many years, but the greenhouse effect, garbage load, environmental pollution, traffic congestion, food and energy shortage and other problems are still serious today. A thousand hectares of green shade, corresponding to the oriole, such a pleasant scene has long disappeared in modern life. Therefore, with fresh ideas, a large number of makers have spared no effort to save the world and benefit mankind from agriculture, ecology, construction, transportation and other fields. This paper summarizes the top ten open source hardware projects that will save the earth, involving many categories. Although maker is good, it is not easy to save the earth. I will enjoy it with you, do it and cherish it.
1. Agriculture: farmbot
Farmbot is an open-source automatic precision agricultural machine designed by Rory Aronson, a mechanical engineer from California, which allows hackers and agronomists to brainstorm. The appearance of FarmBot is very similar to that of CNC milling machine and 3D printer. X, Y and Z three axis orientation, from sensor to spray nozzle, can equip any agricultural equipment. In addition, through the farmbot software package, users can also carry out graphical design of their farm and tell farmbot what operations should be completed, so as to realize ploughing and seed spraying.
The planet where we live is experiencing explosive population growth. Everyone needs to eat. Therefore, many governments and companies are trying to make agricultural production as high as possible. The problem is that they are all private (or "closed source"). Therefore, Rory Aronson, a mechanical engineer from California, designed an open-source automatic precision agricultural machine that allows hackers and agronomists to brainstorm, namely farmbot.
Figure: Rory Aronson and farmbot
The appearance of FarmBot is very similar to that of CNC milling machine and 3D printer. X, Y and Z three axis orientation, from sensor to spray nozzle, can equip any agricultural equipment. In addition, through the farmbot software package, users can also carry out graphical design of their farm and tell farmbot what operations should be completed, so as to realize ploughing and seed spraying. Rory expressed the hope to increase global food production as much as possible by opening up agricultural production technology.
2. Recycling of renewable resources: precious plastics
Precious plastics is a series of open-source machines that can realize the reuse of waste plastics, which is researched and developed by Dave hakkens, a graduate of einhofen School of design in the Netherlands. Precious plastics series includes plastic crusher, extruder, plastic injection molding machine and rotary machine, which are designed based on industrial machinery, but relatively speaking, it is simpler to use and more flexible to transform. In the world of precious plastics, plastics can be as varied as treasures. Through precious plastics, anyone can establish a regional renewable resource recycling center to make plastic waste into new products, such as lampshades, waste cartons, etc.
Commercial recycling business is very great, but the utilization of waste materials is very poor, especially the use of plastics is more limited. Therefore, Dave hakkens, a graduate from Eindhoven Design Institute in the Netherlands, studied and developed a series of open-source machines that can realize the reuse of waste plastics, which Dave named precious plastics.
Figure: one of the machines in the series of precious plastics
Precious plastics series includes plastic crusher, extruder, plastic injection molding machine and rotary machine, which are designed based on industrial machinery, but relatively speaking, it is simpler to use and more flexible to transform. In the world of precious plastics, plastics can be as varied as treasures. Through precious plastics, anyone can establish a regional renewable resource recycling center to make plastic waste into new products, such as lampshades, waste cartons, etc.
3. House construction: wikihouse
Wikihouse, an open source construction project, allows anyone to design, download, print and digitally cut building components. Simple houses can be built quickly with minimal formal skills or simple training. Wikihouse project was launched in 2011, covering New Zealand, France, Brazil, the United States and many other countries. For example, post earthquake resettlement houses in Christchurch, New Zealand, community factories and micro universities in Rio de Janeiro. After wikihouse, its founding team also participated in the creation of the famous opendesk open source furniture project.
Wikihouse, an open source construction project, is widely spread among domestic makers. It can be said that it is a project growing up on the world maker fair platform. The original intention of wikihouse is very simple. It is to enable anyone to design, download, print and CNC cut building components. Simple houses can be built quickly with minimal formal skills or simple training.
Wikihouse project was launched in 2011, covering New Zealand, France, Brazil, the United States and many other countries. For example, post earthquake resettlement houses in Christchurch, New Zealand, community factories and micro universities in Rio de Janeiro. After wikihouse, its founding team also participated in the creation of the famous opendesk open source furniture project.
4. Ecology: open source beehives
Open source beehives is an open source beehive specially used to solve bee colony collapse syndrome, which can be downloaded and printed. Osbh has teams in Denver, Barcelona and Brussels, including ecologists, beekeepers, makers, engineers and open source supporters. The honeycomb designed by it contains an open source sensory toolkit called smart citizen Kit (SCK). Honeycomb data can be transmitted to smartcitizen.me open data platform through SCK, so that users can further compare and analyze the honeycomb according to these data.
The evolution of urbanization, the proliferation of pesticides and pests, and the reduction of bee farms have led to the sudden disappearance of a large number of worker bees in beehives, namely bee colony collapse syndrome, which is one of the crises faced by mankind in recent years. Open source beehives (hereinafter referred to as osbh) was born to deal with this crisis.
Figure: smart citizen Kit
Osbh has teams in Denver, Barcelona and Brussels, including ecologists, beekeepers, makers, engineers and open source supporters. The honeycomb designed by it contains an open source sensory toolkit called smart citizen Kit (SCK). Honeycomb data can be transmitted to smartcitizen.me open data platform through SCK, so that users can further compare and analyze the honeycomb according to these data.
5. Free WiFi: Spark core
Spark core is a fully compatible Arduino developed by the hardware entrepreneurship team spark, equipped with arm Cortex-M3 chip and a micro WiFi development board developed in the cloud. Spark core is a completely open-source hardware product. All hardware design files and development firmware, including schematic diagram, panel design and bill of materials, are open and shared.
Spark core is an Arduino compatible development board that supports WiFi, is equipped with arm cortex m3 and is developed in the cloud. Developers can program in the web development environment and update the firmware to spark core using WiFi.
In addition to spark core, spark also launched the cloud platform spark cloud and provided APIs to OEM manufacturers to connect products with cloud services. Unlike some similar products, spark cloud is a free service, and its founder said "it will be free forever". In June 2013, spark core completed crowdfunding at KickStarter and obtained $560000.
Spark team has a deep relationship with Chinese makers. Spark core is one of the hardware projects hatched by haxlr8r, the first hardware incubator in China. Through spark core, developers can program in the web development environment and update the firmware to spark core using WiFi. In addition to spark core, spark has also launched a free cloud service platform spark cloud. Makers can write code for their machines anytime, anywhere to achieve cloud synchronization.
6. Ecological environment: public Lab
Public lab is an open community operated by a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization. The organization is committed to developing open source tools through DIY technology to realize environmental survey and monitoring, so that people can look at the world from environmental, social and political perspectives, Practitioners who strive to actively reproduce the harmonious coexistence between man and nature create a collaborative network platform.
Focusing on "democratic science", public lab not only studies relevant open-source software and hardware tools and methods, but also shares all knowledge and data related to ecological environment health, provides medical relief and education services for backward areas, supports online and offline training, and cooperates with relevant local personnel, Let them realize the importance and responsibility of protecting the environment.
Figure: public lab team
Focusing on "democratic science", public lab not only studies relevant open-source software and hardware tools and methods, but also shares all knowledge and data related to ecological environment health, provides medical relief and education services for backward areas, supports online and offline training, and cooperates with relevant local personnel, Let them realize the importance and responsibility of protecting the environment.
7. Process: lasersaur / Blackfoot
Here are two digital manufacturing tools that allow makers to easily use some existing open source hardware designs, lasersaur and Blackfoot. Lasersaur is a safe and efficient open source laser cutting machine developed by nortd labs, which can meet any needs of users for laser cutting without mastering any professional knowledge of operation, maintenance and change.
Figure: lasersaur in laser cutting operation
In contrast, Blackfoot, an open source DIY CNC machine tool, has a longer history. Blackfoot focuses on providing free and low-cost automated manufacturing solutions for all DIY CNC enthusiasts and practitioners. Its developer Patrick hood Daniel is an urban planning designer with nearly 10 years of programmer experience and rich experience in the field of machinery. After continuous design modification, Blackfoot has developed to the fourth generation.
8. Clean energy 1: gasifier experimenter's kit
Gasifier experimenter's kit (gek) is an open source gasifier tool developed by all power labs from Berkeley, California, USA. through it, users can turn waste biomass such as fertilizer into treasure and into available energy. Gek can convert energy in multiple levels, reducing carbon emissions and waste emissions at the same time.
Gek, an open source project, began in 2008. Up to now, gek has been studied and popularized in more than 50 universities around the world. As an open hardware company, although the tool developed by all power labs needs to be purchased, its principle and technology can be obtained free of charge. Makers can DIY out a gek by themselves.
Have you ever thought about turning fertilizer and other biomass into useful energy? This idea can be easily realized through the gasifier experimenter's kit (gek), an open source gasifier tool developed by all power labs from Berkeley, California. Gek can convert energy in multiple levels, reducing carbon emissions and waste emissions at the same time.
Gek, an open source project, began in 2008. Up to now, gek has been studied and popularized in more than 50 universities around the world. As an open hardware company, although the tool developed by all power labs needs to be purchased, its principle and technology can be obtained free of charge. Makers can DIY out a gek by themselves.
9. Clean energy 2: zenman energy
Zenman energy is a public welfare organization dedicated to solar energy development. It solves the problems of global air pollution and greenhouse effect by developing open-source and low-cost solar concentrators. Solar energy is abundant, no transportation is required, and the environmental pollution is low. However, the cost of solar energy is very expensive and its use is limited. It is generally used for power generation. What zenman energy does is to change this situation, redesign the old science, and make the price of solar energy lower than that of gasoline, gas, fossil fuels and other energy.
In this era, energy scarcity is one of the important issues. Unlike gek's turning waste into treasure, zenman energy focuses on solar energy. Zenman energy is a public welfare organization dedicated to solar energy development. It solves the problems of global air pollution and greenhouse effect by developing open-source and low-cost solar concentrators. On the website of zenman energy, there is such a powerful saying: "coal has tortured the earth for 150 years. We need an alternative energy, that is the sun!"
Solar energy is abundant, no transportation is required, and the environmental pollution is low. However, the cost of solar energy is very expensive and its use is limited. It is generally used for power generation. What zenman energy does is to change this situation, redesign the old science, and make the price of solar energy lower than that of gasoline, gas, fossil fuels and other energy.
10. Transportation: tabby
Tabby is the world's first open source DIY car designed and developed by open source vehicle (OSV) from Italy. Users only need to buy basic parts and download the assembly guide, and they can make their own decisions like IKEA
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