Difference between revisions of "About Open Hardware"

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[[de:Ueber_Open_Hardware]]
[[es:Acerca_de_Open_Hardware]]
== What is Do it Yourself, Open Hardware and Open Source Hardware?  ==
== What is Do it Yourself, Open Hardware and Open Source Hardware?  ==
[[File:solar3.png|thumb|<small>'''Do it Yourself refers to the handmade production of products by private individuals or small groups, usually without a commercial background.'''</small>]]
[[File:solar3.png|thumb|<small>''''''</small>]]
[[File:crane5.png|thumb|<small>'''The term "Open (Source) Hardware" borrows from the term "Open (Source) Software" and refers to technical developments and inventions that are not protected by companies through patents or other property rights.'''</small>]]
[[File:crane5.png|thumb|<small>''''''</small>]]
Do it Yourself refers to the handicraft production of products by private individuals or smaller groups, usually without a commercial background.  
Do it Yourself refers to the handicraft production of products by private individuals or smaller groups, usually without a commercial background.  


Line 21: Line 23:
* Optional: software
* Optional: software


== Open Source Hardware im Vergleich zu Open Source Software ==
== Application areas of Open Hardware ==


Bei Open Source Software Projekten sind das Produkt und die Dokumentation identisch: Der Programmcode ist gleichzeitig das Endprodukt und die gemeinsame internationale Sprache für Dokumentation und Kommunikation zwischen den Entwicklern. Die Dokumentation erfordert nur einen geringen zusätzlichen Zeitaufwand. Deshalb hat sich in relativ kurzer Zeit eine große weltweite Community entwickelt und deshalb ist Open Source Software auch aus wirtschaftlicher Sicht sehr erfolgreich.
=== Open Hardware for Startups and Small Businesses ===


Bei Open Source Hardware Projekten sind Produkt und Dokumentation zwei unterschiedliche Dinge: Die Realisierung eines Open Source Hardware Projektes erfordert handwerkliche Fähigkeiten, Materialeinsatz und eine Werkstatt. Die Dokumentation eines Open Source Hardware Projektes erfordert eine CAD-Arbeitsstation sowie Kenntnisse und Erfahrung in CAD-Systemen. Über letzteres verfügt jedoch nur ein geringer Teil der OSH-Entwickler. Und selbst diese können den relativ hohen zusätzlichen Arbeitsaufwand für eine saubere Dokumentation häufig nicht leisten.  
==== Problem description ====
Small businesses, unlike medium and large enterprises, have limited resources for research and development. Therefore, Open Hardware offers this sector in particular a very large potential in terms of innovative power and cost savings. This has been sufficiently proven by numerous examples. Unfortunately, Open Hardware has not yet gained nearly as much acceptance as it has in the area of Open Source Software. Reasons for this include a lack of standards for documentation and quality control.  


Dies ist ein wichtiger Grund, dass Open Source Hardware im Gegensatz zu Open Source Software gesellschaftlich und ökonomisch (noch) keine wirklich relevante Rolle spielt.
==== Our approach ====
* In cooperation with other organizations, we developed the world's first standard for Open Hardware, DIN Spec 3105.
* On www.oho.wiki we have developed the first certification platform for Open Hardware.
* Furthermore, we have built the first CAD center that focuses exclusively on the technical documentation of Open Hardware projects.
* We make these systems available to all interested individuals, organizations and companies (free of charge at the moment).


=== Bedeutung von Open Source Software ===
=== Open Hardware in Science and Research ===
Open Source Software dominiert mittlerweile viele Marktsegmente, wie zum Beispiel:
* Apache für Web-Server
* Linux mit seinen Distributionen als Server-Betriebssysteme
* Wordpress als CMS und für Blogs
* die CMS-Klassiker Typo3, Drupal, und Joomla
* PHP als Programmiersprache für Webserver
* usw. usw.


=== Bedeutung von Open Source Hardware ===
==== Problem description ====
Demgegenüber kann Open Source Hardware nur wenige „Leuchtturmprojekte“ vorweisen, welche gesamtgesellschaftlich jedoch so gut wie keinen Einfluss haben, wie zum Beispiel
At universities and scientific institutes, immense amounts of money are invested annually in the development of technologies and devices in the field of sustainable development. A large part of this funding comes from public money. However, the use of the research results is mostly reserved for the responsible researchers or the cooperating companies. The research results are only published in excerpts, so that other organizations or companies do not have access to the technical documentation of the developed technologies and cannot replicate or further develop them.
 
In the context of Open Science projects, attempts have been made for some years to change this practice. However, especially in the area of hardware development, the current state is still that the details of the technical documentation remain under lock and key.
 
==== Our approach ====
* We support the broad dissemination and usability of publicly funded research results in the spirit of the Open Science idea.
* The platform provides an easy way for research teams to document the results of their technical developments and make them available to the general public
* Our documentation standards ensure the completeness and quality of the information provided, which is necessary for replication and further development
* Going through a review process can help improve research results
* Receiving an Open Hardware certification according to DIN-Spec 3501 can prove to clients that minimum quality standards for the documentation of research results have been met.
 
=== Open Hardware in Development Cooperation ===
 
==== Problem description ====
In technical development cooperation, thousands of good and mature projects have been realized in the last decades, for example in the areas of:
* Renewable Energy: Wind energy, hydro energy, solar energy, photovoltaic.
* Environmental technologies: Wastewater filters, recycling, circular economy
* Health: Equipment for first aid centers, prostheses, walking aids, wheelchairs
* Machinery for small businesses: Agriculture, food processing, construction, woodworking, metalworking and many others.
 
Many of these projects aim to develop relatively simple technologies that
* can be produced with locally available resources
* use no (or as few as possible) costly or difficult-to-obtain components,
* do not require high capital investment.
 
Most of these projects could theoretically be transferred to other regions and countries without much difficulty. The prerequisite for this is that sufficient technical documentation (i.e., that the construction plans, parts lists and assembly instructions) is prepared for these projects and published in a form that is freely accessible to everyone. However, this happened only in exceptional cases. No real technology transfer takes place.
 
==== Our approach ====
* We contact development organizations that have completed these projects and ask them to provide us with their existing documentation.
* Our team of experienced engineers and technicians use the available documentation to create standardized technical documentation for each individual project.
* In order to give access to this information for as many people, companies and organizations as possible, we publish the documentation in the form of PDF files or videos on various platforms known worldwide, including Wikipedia and YouTube.
* In 2021 we have documented and published more than 100 projects in the field of development cooperation."
 
=== Open Hardware for civil society and social projects ===
 
==== Problem description ====
Many social projects require certain equipment, machines or technologies. However, they usually have very limited financial resources. On the other hand, they often have volunteers who are able to produce the needed hardware themselves, on condition that they have mature blueprints.
Typical areas of application include:
* FabLabs, Makerspaces, Repair Cafés and Open Workshops.
* Cooperatives for organic farming
* Training workshops for students, apprentices or disabled people
 
==== Our approach ====
OHO creates the technical documentation for selected Open Hardware projects and publishes it in the form of easy-to-understand PDF files or videos. These projects are also reviewed and certified by independent experts. Everyone has free access to this information. In this way, we contribute to enabling social organizations from a wide range of sectors to achieve their project goals with the available budgets.
 
== Open source hardware compared to open source software ==
 
In open-source software projects, the product and the documentation are identical: the program code is both the end product and the common international language for documentation and communication between developers. The documentation requires only a minor additional investment of time. This is why a large worldwide community has developed in a relatively short time and why open source software is also very successful from an economic point of view.
 
In open-source hardware projects, product and documentation are two different things: The realization of an open-source hardware project requires craftsmanship, material input, and a workshop. The documentation of an open-source hardware project requires a CAD workstation as well as knowledge and experience in CAD systems. However, only a small proportion of OSH developers have the knowledge and experience of the latter, even these often cannot afford the relatively high additional workload for clean documentation.
 
This is an important reason why open-source hardware, in contrast to open source software, does not (yet) play a really relevant role socially and economically.
 
=== Significance of open source software ===
Open-source software now dominates many market segments, such as:
* Apache for web servers
* Linux with its distributions as server operating systems
* WordPress as CMS and for blogs
* The CMS classics Typo3, Drupal, and Joomla
* PHP as a programming language for web servers
* etc. etc.
=== Significance of open source hardware ===
In contrast, open-source hardware has only a few "lighthouse projects", which have virtually no influence on society as a whole, for example
* Arduino
* Arduino
* 3D printers such as RepRa
* 3D printers such as RepRap
* Laser Cutter Lasersaur
* Laser Cutter Lasersaur
* Tabby OSVehicle
* Tabby OSVehicle
* Prosthetic Hands von OpenBionics’
* Prosthetic Hands by OpenBionics'
* Wikihouse
* Wikihouse


Hierfür gibt es einige wichtige Gründe.
There are a few important reasons for this.


== Was sind die Probleme von Open Source Hardware? ==
== What are the problems of Open Source Hardware? ==
[[File:crowd3.png|thumb|<small>'''Die meisten Open Source Hardware oder DIY-Projekte sind gar nicht oder nur unvollständig dokumentiert.'''</small>]]
[[File:crowd3.png|thumb|<small>''''''</small>]]
Für die fehlende Bedeutung von Open Source Hardware  gibt es mehrere Gründe:
There are several reasons for the lack of importance of open source hardware:


=== Problem 1: Dokumentation ===
=== Problem 1: Documentation ===
Die meisten Open Source Hardware oder DIY-Projekte sind gar nicht oder nur unvollständig dokumentiert. Eine vollständige Dokumentation einer technischen Lösung umfasst z.B. CAD-Dateien, technische Zeichnungen, Stücklisten etc. Die Erstellung dieser Unterlagen ist zeitaufwändig und erfordert teilweise auch Spezialkenntnisse, zum Beispiel in CAD-Systemen. Deshalb wird sie in nicht kommerziellen Projekten häufig vernachlässigt. Eine fehlende Dokumentation bewirkt jedoch, dass die Projekte von anderen Menschen weder genutzt, noch nachgebaut, noch weiterentwickelt werden können. Es entstehen keine Synergie-Effekte, die unterschiedlichen Entwicklungen können nicht einander vernetzt werden oder aufeinander aufbauen.  
Most open-source hardware or DIY projects are not documented at all or documented incompletely. A complete documentation of a technical solution includes e.g. CAD files, technical drawings, parts lists etc. The creation of these documents is time-consuming and sometimes also requires specialised knowledge, for example in CAD systems. Therefore, it is often neglected in non-commercial projects. However, a lack of documentation means that the projects can neither be used by others, nor copied, nor further developed. There are no synergy effects, the different developments cannot be networked or build on each other.  


=== Problem 2: Lizenzierung und Urheberrecht ===
=== Problem 2: Licensing and copyright ===
Die Anzahl an Do it Yourself Projekten übersteigt die Anzahl an Open Hardware Projekten um ein Vielfaches.  
The number of Do it Yourself projects exceeds the number of Open Hardware projects many fold.  
Viele gute Projekte sind nicht unter freien Lizenzen veröffentlicht, die es anderen Menschen ermöglichen die Projekte frei zu nutzen und weiter zu entwickeln.
Many good projects are not published under free licenses that allow other people to use and develop the projects freely.


=== Problem 3: Bekanntmachung: ===
=== Problem 3: Publicity: ===
OSH- und DIY-Projekte werden häufig auf kleinen unbekannten Websites in nur einer Sprache veröffentlicht. Für Interessenten, die in anderen Sprachen suchen, sind sie unauffindbar, auch weil bisweilen wenig treffende Suchbegriffe verwendet werden. Dadurch werden sie häufig nur von einem kleinen Teil der potentiellen Interessnet gefunden.
OSH and DIY projects are often published on small unknown websites in only one language. For those interested in searching in other languages, those projects are untraceable, also because sometimes inappropriate search terms are used. As a result, they are often only found by a small part of the potentially interested network.

Latest revision as of 01:13, 18 November 2021

What is Do it Yourself, Open Hardware and Open Source Hardware?

'
'

Do it Yourself refers to the handicraft production of products by private individuals or smaller groups, usually without a commercial background.

The term "open (source) hardware" is based on the term "open (source) software" and refers to technical developments and inventions that are not protected by companies through patents or other protective rights. The developers are often individuals, non-profit organizations, or small businesses who make their knowledge freely available to others.

Open hardware and open-source hardware are often used as synonyms, although open-source hardware usually uses stricter criteria. According to the Open Source Hardware Association (OSHWA) definition, open-source hardware (OSH) is "hardware whose blueprints have been made publicly available so that anyone can study, modify, redistribute, and make and sell it and hardware based on it".

The four essential requirements for open-source hardware are:

  • Use: Anyone can use it
  • Understand: All the important information to be able to understand it must be available.
  • Distribute: Anyone can distribute it
  • Improve: Anyone can improve it

In order to fulfill these requirements, complete technical documentation is necessary, because without it, points 2-4 cannot be fulfilled. The technical documentation usually consists of:

  • CAD files
  • Technical drawings, e.g. in PDF format
  • Parts lists
  • Optional: Documentation of electrical and electronic components
  • Optional: software

Application areas of Open Hardware

Open Hardware for Startups and Small Businesses

Problem description

Small businesses, unlike medium and large enterprises, have limited resources for research and development. Therefore, Open Hardware offers this sector in particular a very large potential in terms of innovative power and cost savings. This has been sufficiently proven by numerous examples. Unfortunately, Open Hardware has not yet gained nearly as much acceptance as it has in the area of Open Source Software. Reasons for this include a lack of standards for documentation and quality control.

Our approach

  • In cooperation with other organizations, we developed the world's first standard for Open Hardware, DIN Spec 3105.
  • On www.oho.wiki we have developed the first certification platform for Open Hardware.
  • Furthermore, we have built the first CAD center that focuses exclusively on the technical documentation of Open Hardware projects.
  • We make these systems available to all interested individuals, organizations and companies (free of charge at the moment).

Open Hardware in Science and Research

Problem description

At universities and scientific institutes, immense amounts of money are invested annually in the development of technologies and devices in the field of sustainable development. A large part of this funding comes from public money. However, the use of the research results is mostly reserved for the responsible researchers or the cooperating companies. The research results are only published in excerpts, so that other organizations or companies do not have access to the technical documentation of the developed technologies and cannot replicate or further develop them.

In the context of Open Science projects, attempts have been made for some years to change this practice. However, especially in the area of hardware development, the current state is still that the details of the technical documentation remain under lock and key.

Our approach

  • We support the broad dissemination and usability of publicly funded research results in the spirit of the Open Science idea.
  • The platform provides an easy way for research teams to document the results of their technical developments and make them available to the general public
  • Our documentation standards ensure the completeness and quality of the information provided, which is necessary for replication and further development
  • Going through a review process can help improve research results
  • Receiving an Open Hardware certification according to DIN-Spec 3501 can prove to clients that minimum quality standards for the documentation of research results have been met.

Open Hardware in Development Cooperation

Problem description

In technical development cooperation, thousands of good and mature projects have been realized in the last decades, for example in the areas of:

  • Renewable Energy: Wind energy, hydro energy, solar energy, photovoltaic.
  • Environmental technologies: Wastewater filters, recycling, circular economy
  • Health: Equipment for first aid centers, prostheses, walking aids, wheelchairs
  • Machinery for small businesses: Agriculture, food processing, construction, woodworking, metalworking and many others.

Many of these projects aim to develop relatively simple technologies that

  • can be produced with locally available resources
  • use no (or as few as possible) costly or difficult-to-obtain components,
  • do not require high capital investment.

Most of these projects could theoretically be transferred to other regions and countries without much difficulty. The prerequisite for this is that sufficient technical documentation (i.e., that the construction plans, parts lists and assembly instructions) is prepared for these projects and published in a form that is freely accessible to everyone. However, this happened only in exceptional cases. No real technology transfer takes place.

Our approach

  • We contact development organizations that have completed these projects and ask them to provide us with their existing documentation.
  • Our team of experienced engineers and technicians use the available documentation to create standardized technical documentation for each individual project.
  • In order to give access to this information for as many people, companies and organizations as possible, we publish the documentation in the form of PDF files or videos on various platforms known worldwide, including Wikipedia and YouTube.
  • In 2021 we have documented and published more than 100 projects in the field of development cooperation."

Open Hardware for civil society and social projects

Problem description

Many social projects require certain equipment, machines or technologies. However, they usually have very limited financial resources. On the other hand, they often have volunteers who are able to produce the needed hardware themselves, on condition that they have mature blueprints. Typical areas of application include:

  • FabLabs, Makerspaces, Repair Cafés and Open Workshops.
  • Cooperatives for organic farming
  • Training workshops for students, apprentices or disabled people

Our approach

OHO creates the technical documentation for selected Open Hardware projects and publishes it in the form of easy-to-understand PDF files or videos. These projects are also reviewed and certified by independent experts. Everyone has free access to this information. In this way, we contribute to enabling social organizations from a wide range of sectors to achieve their project goals with the available budgets.

Open source hardware compared to open source software

In open-source software projects, the product and the documentation are identical: the program code is both the end product and the common international language for documentation and communication between developers. The documentation requires only a minor additional investment of time. This is why a large worldwide community has developed in a relatively short time and why open source software is also very successful from an economic point of view.

In open-source hardware projects, product and documentation are two different things: The realization of an open-source hardware project requires craftsmanship, material input, and a workshop. The documentation of an open-source hardware project requires a CAD workstation as well as knowledge and experience in CAD systems. However, only a small proportion of OSH developers have the knowledge and experience of the latter, even these often cannot afford the relatively high additional workload for clean documentation.

This is an important reason why open-source hardware, in contrast to open source software, does not (yet) play a really relevant role socially and economically.

Significance of open source software

Open-source software now dominates many market segments, such as:

  • Apache for web servers
  • Linux with its distributions as server operating systems
  • WordPress as CMS and for blogs
  • The CMS classics Typo3, Drupal, and Joomla
  • PHP as a programming language for web servers
  • etc. etc.

Significance of open source hardware

In contrast, open-source hardware has only a few "lighthouse projects", which have virtually no influence on society as a whole, for example

  • Arduino
  • 3D printers such as RepRap
  • Laser Cutter Lasersaur
  • Tabby OSVehicle
  • Prosthetic Hands by OpenBionics'
  • Wikihouse

There are a few important reasons for this.

What are the problems of Open Source Hardware?

'

There are several reasons for the lack of importance of open source hardware:

Problem 1: Documentation

Most open-source hardware or DIY projects are not documented at all or documented incompletely. A complete documentation of a technical solution includes e.g. CAD files, technical drawings, parts lists etc. The creation of these documents is time-consuming and sometimes also requires specialised knowledge, for example in CAD systems. Therefore, it is often neglected in non-commercial projects. However, a lack of documentation means that the projects can neither be used by others, nor copied, nor further developed. There are no synergy effects, the different developments cannot be networked or build on each other.

Problem 2: Licensing and copyright

The number of Do it Yourself projects exceeds the number of Open Hardware projects many fold. Many good projects are not published under free licenses that allow other people to use and develop the projects freely.

Problem 3: Publicity:

OSH and DIY projects are often published on small unknown websites in only one language. For those interested in searching in other languages, those projects are untraceable, also because sometimes inappropriate search terms are used. As a result, they are often only found by a small part of the potentially interested network.

OPEN HARDWARE OBSERVATORY 2020
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