Although open source software has gradually occupied the market, the open source hardware is still rare. Many open source hardware projects are now very successful, but there are still many challenges.
MakerBot Vice President Anthony Moschella, Open Prosthetics, founder, Iraq War veterans Jonathan Kuniholm and the IBM Power Systems General Manager DOUG BALOG have their own unique open source hardware projects. Whether it is 3D printing or prosthesis, or a server, they agree that open source will accelerate technological innovation. Some of their achievements and challenges will be introduced, as well as the participation of open source communities, and play the opportunities generated by the role.
Makerbot
Objective: Open 3D printing methods will enable developers and plants to create objects they imagine, just like open source software.
Moschella said in his speech: "3D print real innovation is that the object itself is not end."
Achievements: Makerbot's Thingiverse departments include approximately 13,000 people including developers, designers and engineers, they downloaded and shared the design of the open source printed. For example: RoboHand prints a 3D fake model for children who cannot pay prosthetic costs. Open source design has the characteristics of rapid spread and perfect, and it is more easily aggregated and shared.
Challenge: Consumer-centric 3D printer is largely limited to small objects such as printing plastic toys. Commonly used daily necessities are still rare, but this phenomenon will not last for a long time. Printing technology can be widely used in various objects, Moschella proposes concerns about copyright issues.
2. Open Prosthetics Project
Objective: Provide more affordable than existing products to be more affordable than existing products.
Achievements: Open Prosthetics Project will work together with the two university laboratories, and a small open source project including hardware, firmware, and software is now launched.
Kuniholm said: DIY and open source are still part of the solution. They confusing or even sometimes useless, but you have to admit that sometimes it is the best way to complete your things.
Challenge: Due to limited prosthetic market, it is very difficult to find risk investors. In addition, although the code is open, MATLAB development tools are priced at $ 20,000, resulting in higher development costs. Currently, they plan to transplant MATLAB code into other languages similar to Java to facilitate the development of projects.
3. IBM Power Systems
Objective: Through the open source collaboration between dozens of enterprises, the technology industry will span the performance limits based on Silicon Valley Hardware.
Achievement: OpenPower Fundation established by IBM, Google and Mellanox last December, currently has 50 member companies to work together to improve the performance of the application on the server.
BALOG said: Innovation is not a company to be completed.
Challenge: IBM needs to improve the OpenPower server, the application ecosystem on the Linux platform. Currently, the company has begun all software products to run on Linux-based X86 and Power platforms. And ask other companies to do this.
If you are an open source hardware, you may wish to pay attention to 2014.9.30 in the 2014 Open Hardware Summit Conference organized by Rome, Italy, Nortd Labs Joint Founder Addie Wagenknecht will attend.
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