View source for Open-source hardware

{{short description|Hardware from the open-design movement}}
[[File:Open-source-hardware-logo.svg|thumb|200px|The "open source hardware" logo proposed by [[OSHWA]], one of the main defining organizations]]
[[File:RepRap 'Mendel'.jpg|thumb|The [[RepRap]] Mendel general-purpose [[3D printer]] with the ability to make copies of most of its own structural parts]]

'''Open-source hardware''' ('''OSH''', '''OSHW''') consists of physical [[artifact (software development)|artifact]]s of technology designed and offered by the [[open-design movement]]. Both [[free and open-source software]] (FOSS) and open-source hardware are created by this [[open-source#Society|open-source culture]] movement and apply a like concept to a variety of components. It is sometimes, thus, referred to as '''free and open-source hardware''' ('''FOSH'''), meaning that the design is easily available ("open") and that it can be used, modified and shared freely ("free").{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} The term usually means that information about the hardware is easily discerned so that others can make it – coupling it closely to the [[maker culture|maker movement]].<ref>Alicia Gibb (Ed.) ''Building Open Source Hardware: DIY Manufacturing for Hackers and Makers'', Addison-Wesley: New York, pp. 253–277 (2015).</ref> Hardware design (i.e. mechanical drawings, [[circuit diagram|schematics]], [[bills of material]], [[printed circuit board|PCB]] layout data, [[hardware description language|HDL]] source code<ref name="freehw">{{cite web |title=Free Hardware and Free Hardware Designs |publisher=Free Software Foundation Inc |url=https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-hardware-designs.en.html}}</ref> and [[integrated circuit]] layout data), in addition to the software that [[device driver|drives]] the hardware, are all released under free/[[libre content|libre]] terms. The original sharer gains feedback and potentially improvements on the design from the FOSH community. There is now significant evidence that such sharing can drive a high [[return on investment]] for the scientific community.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Joshua M. Pearce. |date=2015-06-20 |title=Return on Investment for Open Source Hardware Development. |journal=Science and Public Policy |volume=43 |issue=2 |pages=192–195 |doi=10.1093/scipol/scv034 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

It is not enough to merely use an [[open-source license]]; an open source product or project will follow open source principles, such as [[modular design]] and [[social collaboration|community collaboration]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Gavras |first=Kosmas |date=April 2019 |title=OPEN SOURCE BEYOND SOFTWARE: RE-INVENT OPEN DESIGN ON THE COMMON'S GROUND |journal=Journal of Peer Production |volume=13 |url=http://peerproduction.net/editsuite/issues/issue-13-open/peer-reviewed-papers/open-source-beyond-software/}}</ref><ref>{{cite SSRN |last1=MacCormack |first1=Alan |last2=Rusnak |first2=John |last3=Baldwin |first3=Carliss Y. |date=2011 |title=Exploring the Duality between Product and Organizational Architectures: A Test of the Mirroring Hypothesis |ssrn=1104745}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gavras |first1=Kosmas |last2=Kostakis |first2=Vasilis |date=2021 |title=Mapping the types of modularity in open-source hardware |journal=Design Science |volume=7 |issn=2053-4701 |doi=10.1017/dsj.2021.11 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

Since the rise of reconfigurable [[programmable logic device]]s, sharing of logic designs has been a form of open-source hardware. Instead of the schematics, [[hardware description language]] (HDL) code is shared. HDL descriptions are commonly used to set up [[system-on-a-chip]] systems either in [[field-programmable gate array]]s (FPGA) or directly in [[application-specific integrated circuit]] (ASIC) designs. HDL modules, when distributed, are called [[semiconductor intellectual property core]]s, also known as IP cores.

Open-source hardware also helps alleviate the issue of [[proprietary device driver]]s for the free and open-source software community, however, it is not a pre-requisite for it, and should not be confused with the concept of open documentation for proprietary hardware, which is already sufficient for writing FLOSS device drivers and complete operating systems.<ref name=opencon06-docs>{{cite conference
|author=Theo de Raadt |date=2016-12-03
|title=Open Documentation for Hardware
|conference-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070109032258/http://www.opencon.org/program.php
|conference=OpenCON 2006, 2–3 December 2006
|location=Courtyard Venice Airport, Venice/Tessera, Italy
|author-link=Theo de Raadt
|url=http://www.openbsd.org/papers/opencon06-docs/index.html
}}</ref><ref name=lor-opencon06>{{cite web
|first=Constantine A. |last=Murenin |date=2006-12-10
|title=Почему так важно иметь документацию по программированию железа
|website=Linux.org.ru |language=ru
|url=https://www.linux.org.ru/news/hardware/1690470
}}</ref>
The difference between the two concepts is that OSH includes both the instructions on how to replicate the hardware itself as well as the information on communication protocols that the software (usually in the form of [[device driver]]s) must use in order to communicate with the hardware (often called register documentation, or open documentation for hardware{{r|opencon06-docs}}), whereas open-source-friendly proprietary hardware would only include the latter without including the former.

==History==

The first hardware-focused "[[open source]]" activities were started around 1997 by [[Bruce Perens]], creator of the [[Open Source Definition]], co-founder of the [[Open Source Initiative]], and a [[ham radio operator]]. He launched the Open Hardware Certification Program, which had the goal of allowing hardware manufacturers to self-certify their products as open.<ref>Perens, B. 1997. Announcing: The Open Hardware Certification Program. Debian Announce List. [http://lists.debian.org/debian-announce/1997/msg00026.html].</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19981212031618/http://www.openhardware.org/ The Open Hardware Certification Program] on openhardware.org (November 1998).</ref>

Shortly after the launch of the Open Hardware Certification Program, David Freeman announced the Open Hardware Specification Project (OHSpec), another attempt at licensing hardware components whose interfaces are available publicly and of creating an entirely new computing platform as an alternative to proprietary computing systems.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19990220025612/http://www.wpi.edu/~free779/main.html Freeman, D. 1998. OHSpec: The Open Hardware Specification Project].</ref> In early 1999, Sepehr Kiani, Ryan Vallance and Samir Nayfeh joined efforts to apply the open-source philosophy to machine design applications. Together they established the Open Design Foundation (ODF) <ref>{{cite web |title=Open Design Foundation |url=http://www.opendesign.org/ |access-date=May 25, 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160522031916/http://www.opendesign.org/ |archive-date=2016-05-22}}</ref> as a non-profit corporation and set out to develop an [[Open Design]] Definition. However, most of these activities faded out after a few years.

A "Free Hardware" organization, known as FreeIO, was started in the late 1990s by Diehl Martin, who also launched a FreeIO website in early 2000. In the early to mid 2000s, FreeIO was a focus of free/open hardware designs released under the [[GNU General Public License]]. The FreeIO project advocated the concept of Free Hardware and proposed four freedoms that such hardware provided to users, based on the similar freedoms provided by free software licenses.<ref>{{cite web |title=About FreeIO &#124; FreeIO |url=http://freeio.org/about-freeio/}}</ref> The designs gained some notoriety due to Martin's naming scheme in which each free hardware project was given the name of a breakfast food such as Donut, Flapjack, Toast, etc. Martin's projects attracted a variety of hardware and software developers as well as other volunteers. Development of new open hardware designs at FreeIO ended in 2007 when Martin died of pancreatic cancer but the existing designs remain available from the organization's website.<ref>{{cite web |title=Diehl Martin &#124; FreeIO |url=http://freeio.org/about-freeio/diehl-martin-and-freeio-org/}}</ref>

[[File:Openhardware.org-logo.png|thumb|150px|openhardware.org logo (2013)]]

By the mid 2000s open-source hardware again became a hub of activity due to the emergence of several major open-source hardware projects and companies, such as [[OpenCores]], [[RepRap]] ([[3D printing]]), [[Arduino]], [[Adafruit]], [[SparkFun]], and [[Open Source Ecology]]. In 2007, Perens reactivated the openhardware.org website, but it's currently (February 2025) inactive.

Following the [[Open Graphics Project]], an effort to design, implement, and manufacture a free and open 3D graphics chip set and reference graphics card, Timothy Miller suggested the creation of an organization to safeguard the interests of the Open Graphics Project community. Thus, Patrick McNamara founded the [[Open Hardware Foundation]] (OHF) in 2007.<ref>McNamara, P. 2007a. "Open Hardware". The Open Source Business Resource (September 2007: Defining Open Source). {{cite web |title=McNamara |url=http://www.osbr.ca/ojs/index.php/osbr/article/view/379/340 |access-date=2016-03-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106203708/http://www.osbr.ca/ojs/index.php/osbr/article/view/379/340 |archive-date=2012-01-06}}.</ref>

The [[Tucson Amateur Packet Radio Corporation]] (TAPR), founded in 1982 as a non-profit organization of amateur radio operators with the goals of supporting R&D efforts in the area of amateur digital communications, created in 2007 the first open hardware license, the [[TAPR Open Hardware License]]. The [[Open Source Initiative|OSI]] president [[Eric S. Raymond]] expressed some concerns about certain aspects of the OHL and decided to not review the license.<ref name="ars">[https://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070223-8911.html Ars Technica: TAPR introduces open-source hardware license, OSI skeptical].</ref>

Around 2010 in context of the [[Freedom Defined]] project, the ''Open Hardware Definition'' was created as collaborative work of many<ref>[https://freedomdefined.org/OSHW], Open Source Hardware Definition. Freedom Defined. 2011.</ref> and is accepted as of 2016 by dozens of organizations and companies.<ref>[https://freedomdefined.org/OSHW OSHW].</ref>

In July 2011, CERN ([[European Organization for Nuclear Research]]) released an open-source hardware license, [[CERN OHL]]. Javier Serrano, an engineer at CERN's Beams Department and the founder of the Open Hardware Repository, explained: "By sharing designs openly, CERN expects to improve the quality of designs through peer review and to guarantee their users – including commercial companies – the freedom to study, modify and manufacture them, leading to better hardware and less duplication of efforts".<ref>[http://public.web.cern.ch/press/pressreleases/Releases2011/PR08.11E.html CERN launches Open Hardware initiative] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120701165927/http://public.web.cern.ch/Press/PressReleases/Releases2011/PR08.11E.html |date=2012-07-01}}. CERN. 2011.</ref> While initially drafted to address CERN-specific concerns, such as tracing the impact of the organization's research, in its current form it can be used by anyone developing open-source hardware.<ref>Ayass, M. 2011. [http://www.openhardwaresummit.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/The-CERN-OHL_OSHW-Summit.pdf CERN's Open Hardware License] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111206155232/http://www.openhardwaresummit.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/The-CERN-OHL_OSHW-Summit.pdf |date=2011-12-06}}.</ref>

Following the 2011 Open Hardware Summit, and after heated debates on licenses and what constitutes open-source hardware, Bruce Perens abandoned the OSHW Definition and the concerted efforts of those involved with it.<ref>Bruce Perens, 2011a. [http://lists.openhardwaresummit.org/pipermail/updates-openhardwaresummit.org/2011-September/000565.html Promoting Open Hardware].</ref> Openhardware.org, led by Bruce Perens, promotes and identifies practices that meet all the combined requirements of the Open Source Hardware Definition, the Open Source Definition, and the Four Freedoms of the [[Free Software Foundation]]<ref>Bruce Perens. 2011b. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110927035844/http://wiki.openhardware.org/Project:Constitution Open Hardware – Constitution]. Open Hardware.</ref> Since 2014 openhardware.org is not online and seems to have ceased activity.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217181040/http://www.openhardware.org/ You've reached a web site owned by Perens LLC] on openhardware.org.</ref>

[[File:Oshwalogo.png|thumb|OSHWA logo]]

The [[Open Source Hardware Association]] (OSHWA) at oshwa.org acts as hub of open-source hardware activity of all genres, while cooperating with other entities such as TAPR, CERN, and OSI. The OSHWA was established as an organization in June 2012 in Delaware and filed for tax exemption status in July 2013.<ref>[http://www.oshwa.org/research/brief-history-of-open-source-hardware-organizations-and-definitions/ brief-history-of-open-source-hardware-organizations-and-definitions] on OSHWA.org.</ref> After some debates about trademark interferences with the OSI, in 2012 the OSHWA and the OSI signed a co-existence agreement.<ref>[http://www.oshwa.org/2012/08/02/an-important-question-on-the-open-source-hardware-mark/ An Important Question on the Open Source Hardware Mark] on oshwa.org (August 2012).</ref><ref>[http://www.oshwa.org/2012/10/17/co-existence/ co-existence] on oshwa.org (October 2012).</ref>

The [[FOSSi Foundation]] is founded in 2015 as a [[UK]]-based non-profit to promote and protect the open source silicon chip movement, roughly a year after the official release of [[RISC-V]] architecture.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Welcome to FOSSi |url=https://fossi-foundation.org/blog/2015-10-10-welcome |access-date=2024-08-23 |website=fossi-foundation.org |language=en}}</ref>

The [[Free Software Foundation]] has suggested an alternative "free hardware" definition derived from the [[Four Freedoms (software)|Four Freedoms]].<ref name="wiredrms"/><ref>{{cite web |last=Stallman |first=Richard |date=2015 |title=Free Hardware and Free Hardware Designs |website=Free Software Foundation |url=https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-hardware-designs.en.html |access-date=2023-07-16}}</ref>

==Forms of open-source hardware==
[[File:What is Open Science Hardware - explainer.webm|thumb|Explainer video for Open Science Hardware]]
The term ''hardware'' in open-source hardware has been historically used in opposition to the term ''software'' of open-source software. That is, to refer to the electronic hardware on which the software runs (see previous section). However, as more and more non-electronic hardware products are made open source (for example [[WikiHouse]], OpenBeam or Hovalin), this term tends to be used back in its broader sense of "physical product". The field of open-source hardware has been shown to go beyond electronic hardware and to cover a larger range of product categories such as machine tools, vehicles and medical equipment.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal |last1=Bonvoisin |first1=Jérémy |last2=Mies |first2=Robert |last3=Boujut |first3=Jean-François |last4=Stark |first4=Rainer |date=2017-09-05 |title=What is the 'Source' of Open Source Hardware? |journal=Journal of Open Hardware |volume=1 |issue=1 |issn=2514-1708 |doi=10.5334/joh.7 |doi-access=free}}</ref> In that sense, ''hardware'' refers to any form of tangible product, be it electronic hardware, mechanical hardware, textile or even construction hardware. The Open Source Hardware (OSHW) Definition 1.0 defines hardware as "tangible artifacts — machines, devices, or other physical things".<ref>{{cite web |title=Open Source Hardware (OSHW) Definition 1.0 |date=2012-05-26 |website=Open Source Hardware Association |url=https://www.oshwa.org/definition/}}</ref>

===Electronics===
Electronics is one of the most popular types of open-source hardware.  [[Printed circuit board|PCB]] based designs can be published similarly to software as CAD files, which users can send directly to PCB fabrication companies to receive hardware in the mail. Alternatively, users can obtain components and solder them together themselves.

There are many companies that provide large varieties of open-source electronics such as [[Sparkfun]], [[Adafruit]], and Seeed. In addition, there are [[Nonprofit organization|NPOs]] and companies that provide a specific open-source electronic component such as the [[Arduino]] electronics prototyping platform. There are many examples of specialty open-source electronics such as low-cost voltage and current [[Gas metal arc welding|GMAW]] open-source 3-D printer monitor<ref>{{cite journal |title=Low-Cost Open-Source Voltage and Current Monitor for Gas Metal Arc Weld 3D Printing |year=2015 |last1=Pinar |first1=A. |last2=Wijnen |first2=B. |last3=Anzalone |first3=G. C. |last4=Havens |first4=T. C. |last5=Sanders |first5=P. G. |last6=Pearce |first6=J. M. |journal=Journal of Sensors |volume=2015 |pages=1–8 |doi=10.1155/2015/876714 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Integrated Voltage—Current Monitoring and Control of Gas Metal Arc Weld Magnetic Ball-Jointed Open Source 3-D Printer |year=2015 |last1=Nilsiam |first1=Yuenyong |last2=Haselhuhn |first2=Amberlee |last3=Wijnen |first3=Bas |last4=Sanders |first4=Paul |last5=Pearce |first5=Joshua |journal=Machines |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=339–351 |doi=10.3390/machines3040339 |doi-access=free}}</ref> and a robotics-assisted [[mass spectrometry]] assay platform.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Robotics-assisted mass spectrometry assay platform enabled by open-source electronics |year=2015 |last1=Chiu |first1=Shih-Hao |last2=Urban |first2=Pawel L. |journal=Biosensors and Bioelectronics |volume=64 |pages=260–268 |pmid=25232666 |doi=10.1016/j.bios.2014.08.087}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Dual robotic arm "production line" mass spectrometry assay guided by multiple Arduino-type microcontrollers |year=2017 |last1=Chen |first1=Chih-Lin |last2=Chen |first2=Ting-Ru |last3=Chiu |first3=Shih-Hao |last4=Urban |first4=Pawel L. |journal=Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical |volume=239 |pages=608–616 |doi=10.1016/j.snb.2016.08.031}}</ref> Open-source electronics finds various uses, including automation of chemical procedures.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Universal electronics for miniature and automated chemical assays |year=2015 |last1=Urban |first1=Pawel L. |journal=The Analyst |volume=140 |issue=4 |pages=963–975 |pmid=25535820 |bibcode=2015Ana...140..963U |doi=10.1039/C4AN02013H}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=The dawn of unmanned analytical laboratories |year=2017 |last1=Prabhu |first1=Gurpur Rakesh D. |last2=Urban |first2=Pawel L. |journal=Trends in Analytical Chemistry |volume=88 |pages=41–52 |doi=10.1016/j.trac.2016.12.011}}</ref>

===Chip design===
[[File:Yunsup Lee holding RISC V prototype chip.jpg|thumb|RISC-V processor prototype, January 2013]]
Open Standard chip designs are now common. [[OpenRISC]] (2000 - LGPL / GPL), [[OpenSparc]] (2005 - GPLv2), and [[RISC-V]] (2010 - Open Standard, free to implement for non-commercial purposes), are examples of free to use [[instruction set architecture]].

[[OpenCores]] is a large library of standard chip design subcomponents which can be combined into larger designs.

Complete open source software stacks and shuttle fabrication services are now available which can take OSH chip designs from [[hardware description language]]s to masks and [[ASIC]] fabrication on maker-scale budgets.<ref name="Jurkans2024">{{cite journal|author=Jurkans, K and Fox, C.|year=2021|title=Low-Cost Open Source ASIC Design and Fabrication: Creating your own chips with open source software and multiproject wafers |journal=IEEE Solid-State Circuits Magazine|volume=16|issue=2|pages=67–74|doi=10.1109/MSSC.2024.3367652}}</ref>

===Mechanics===

Purely mechanical OSH designs include mechanical components, machine tools, and vehicles.  [[Open Source Ecology]] is a large project which seeks to develop a complete ecosystem of mechanical tools and components which aim to be able to replicate themselves.

Open-source vehicles have also been developed including bicycles like XYZ Space Frame Vehicles and cars such as the Tabby OSVehicle.

===Mechatronics===

Most OSH systems combine elements of electronics and mechanics to form [[mechatronics]] systems.  A large range of open-source [[mechatronics|mechatronic]] products have been developed, including machine tools, musical instruments, and medical equipment.<ref name=":0"/>

Examples of open-source machine tools include 3D printers such as [[RepRap project|RepRap]], [[Prusa Research|Prusa]], and [[Ultimaker]], 3D printer filament extruders such as polystruder<ref>{{cite web |title=Filament Maker Machines for 3D Printing {{!}} Polystruder |website=polystruder.com |language=en |url=https://polystruder.com/ |access-date=2023-09-07}}</ref> XR PRO as well as the laser cutter [[Lasersaur]].

Examples of open source medical equipment include [[open-source ventilator]]s, the echostethoscope echOpen (co-founded by [[:fr:Mehdi Benchoufi|Mehdi Benchoufi]], Olivier de Fresnoye, Pierre Bourrier and Luc Jonveaux<ref>{{cite news |language=fr |title=Mehdi Benchoufi, le médecin qui veut éclipser Laennec et son stéthoscope |newspaper=Le Monde |date=2025-02-16 |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/sciences/article/2025/02/16/mehdi-benchoufi-le-medecin-qui-pourrait-eclipser-laennec-et-son-stethoscope_6548989_1650684.html |access-date=2025-02-26}}</ref>), and a wide range of prosthetic hands listed in the review study by Ten Kate ''et.al.''<ref name="Review 3D-Printed Prosthetic Hands">{{cite journal |last1=Kate |first1=Jelle ten |last2=Smit |first2=Gerwin |last3=Breedveld |first3=Paul |title=3D-printed upper limb prostheses: a review |journal=[[Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology]] |date=3 April 2017 |volume=12 |issue=3 |pages=300–314 |pmid=28152642 |issn=1748-3107 |doi=10.1080/17483107.2016.1253117 |doi-access=free}}</ref> (e.g. OpenBionics' Prosthetic Hands).

===Robotics===

[[Open source robotics]] combines open source hardware mechatronics with open source AI and control software.  Due to the mixture of hardware and software it serves as a particularly active area for open source ideas to move between them.

===Other===
Examples of open-source hardware products can also be found to a lesser extent in construction (Wikihouse), textile (Kit Zéro Kilomètres), and firearms ([[3D printed firearm]], [[Defense Distributed]]).

==Licenses==
Rather than creating a new license, some open-source hardware projects use existing, [[free and open-source software]] licenses.<ref>From [http://opencollector.org/hardlicense/licenses.html OpenCollector's "License Zone"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205105433/http://opencollector.org/hardlicense/licenses.html|date=2008-12-05}}: [[GPL]] used by [http://www.freemodelfoundry.com/copyleft.php Free Model Foundry] and [[OpenSPARC]]; other licenses are used by [[Free-IP Project]], [[LART (computer)|LART]] (the software is released under the terms of the [[GNU General Public License]] (GPL), and the [[Hardware design]] is released under the [[MIT License]]), GNUBook (defunct).</ref> These licenses may not accord well with [[patent law]].<ref>Thompson, C. (2011). [http://spolearninglab.com/curriculum/lessonPlans/workshops/ttt/images/arduino/arduino/Build%20It.%20Share%20It.%20Profit.%20Can%20Open%20Source%20Hardware%20Work.pdf Build it. Share it. Profit. Can open source hardware work?]. Work, 10, 08.</ref>

Later, several new licenses were proposed, designed to address issues specific to hardware design.<ref>For a nearly comprehensive list of licenses, see [http://opencollector.org/hardlicense/licenses.html OpenCollector's "license zone"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205105433/http://opencollector.org/hardlicense/licenses.html |date=2008-12-05}}</ref> In these licenses, many of the fundamental principles expressed in open-source software (OSS) licenses have been "ported" to their counterpart hardware projects. New [[hardware license]]s are often explained as the "hardware equivalent" of a well-known OSS license, such as the [[GPL]], [[LGPL]], or [[BSD license]].

Despite superficial similarities to [[software license]]s, most hardware licenses are fundamentally different: by nature, they typically rely more heavily on [[patent]] law than on [[copyright]] law, as many hardware designs are not copyrightable.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120114234704/http://wiki.openhardware.org/Hardware_Isn't_Generally_Copyrightable Hardware_Isn't_Generally_Copyrightable] on openhardware.org</ref> Whereas a copyright license may control the distribution of the source code or design documents, a patent license may control the use and manufacturing of the physical device built from the design documents. This distinction is explicitly mentioned in the preamble of the [[TAPR Open Hardware License]]:

{{blockquote
 |text="... those who benefit from an OHL design may not bring lawsuits claiming that design infringes their patents or other intellectual property."
 |sign=''TAPR Open Hardware License''<ref>{{cite web |title=The TAPR Open Hardware License |url=http://www.tapr.org/ohl.html |access-date=16 April 2015}}</ref>
}}

Noteworthy licenses include:
* The [[TAPR Open Hardware License]]: drafted by attorney [[John Ackermann]], reviewed by OSS community leaders [[Bruce Perens]] and [[Eric S. Raymond]], and discussed by hundreds of volunteers in an open community discussion<ref>[http://technocrat.net/d/2007/2/5/14355 transcript of all comments] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080518093016/http://technocrat.net/d/2007/2/5/14355 |date=2008-05-18}}, hosted on technocrat.net</ref><ref name="ars"/>
* [[Balloon Open Hardware License]]: used by all projects in the [[Balloon Project (hardware)|Balloon Project]]
* Although originally a software license, [[OpenCores]] encourages the [[LGPL]]
* Hardware Design Public License: written by [[Graham Seaman]], admin of Opencollector.org
* In March 2011 [[CERN]] released the [[CERN Open Hardware License]] (OHL)<ref>{{cite web |title=CERN Open Hardware Licence |work=Open Hardware Repository |publisher=CERN |date=2012-07-05 |url=http://www.ohwr.org/cernohl |access-date=2012-08-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20150924181417/http://www.ohwr.org/projects/cernohl/wiki |archive-date=2015-09-24}}</ref> intended for use with the Open Hardware Repository<ref>{{cite web |title=Open Hardware Repository |url=http://www.ohwr.org/ |access-date=16 April 2015}}</ref> and other projects.
* The Solderpad License<ref>{{cite web |title=Solderpad licenses |publisher=Solderpad.org |url=https://solderpad.org/licenses/ |access-date=2012-08-15}}</ref> is a version of the [[Apache License]] version 2.0, amended by lawyer Andrew Katz to render it more appropriate for hardware use.

The ''Open Source Hardware Association'' recommends seven licenses which follow their ''open-source hardware definition''.<ref name="defintion">[http://www.oshwa.org/definition/ Definition] on oshwa.org</ref> From the general copyleft licenses the [[GNU General Public License]] (GPL) and [[Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike]] license, from the hardware-specific copyleft licenses the [[CERN Open Hardware License]] (OHL) and [[TAPR Open Hardware License]] (OHL) and from the [[permissive license]]s the [[FreeBSD license]], the [[MIT license]], and the [[Creative Commons Attribution]] license.<ref>[http://www.oshwa.org/faq/ FAQ] on oshwa.org ''"What license should I use? In general, there are two broad classes of open-source licenses: copyleft and permissive. Copyleft licenses (also referred to as "share-alike" or "viral") are those which require derivative works to be released under the same license as the original; common copyleft licenses include the GNU General Public License (GPL) and the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license. Other copyleft licenses have been specifically designed for hardware; they include the CERN Open Hardware License (OHL) and the TAPR Open Hardware License (OHL). Permissive licenses are those which allow for proprietary (closed) derivatives; they include the FreeBSD license, the MIT license, and the Creative Commons Attribution license. Licenses that prevent commercial use are not compatible with open-source; see this question for more."''</ref> Openhardware.org recommended in 2012 the TAPR Open Hardware License, Creative Commons BY-SA 3.0 and GPL 3.0 license.<ref>{{cite web |title=Recommended Licenses - Open Hardware Wiki |url=http://wiki.openhardware.org/Recommended_Licenses |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328013824/http://wiki.openhardware.org/Recommended_Licenses |archive-date=2012-03-28}}</ref>

Organizations tend to rally around a shared license. For example, [[OpenCores]] prefers the [[LGPL]] or a [[BSD licenses#3-clause license .28.22New BSD License.22 or .22Modified BSD License.22.29|Modified BSD License]],<ref>[http://opencores.org/opencores,faq#whatlicense Item "What license is used for OpenCores?"], from Opencores.org FAQ, retrieved 14 January 2013</ref> [[FreeCores]] insists on the [[GPL]],<ref>[http://www.freecores.org/wiki/Main_Page FreeCores Main Page] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205063428/http://www.freecores.org/wiki/Main_Page |date=2008-12-05}}, retrieved 25 November 2008</ref> [[Open Hardware Foundation]] promotes "[[copyleft]] or other permissive licenses",<ref>[http://www.linuxfund.org/projects/ogd1/ Open Hardware Foundation, main page], retrieved 25 November 2008</ref> the [[Open Graphics Project]] uses<ref>{{cite web |title=The Open Source Hardware Bank {{!}} Make |date=2009-03-05 |website=Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers |url=https://makezine.com/2009/03/05/the-open-source-hardware-bank/ |access-date=2017-09-09}}</ref> a variety of licenses, including the [[MIT license]], [[GPL]], and a proprietary license,<ref>See "Are we going to get the 'source' for what is on the FPGA also?" in the [http://wiki.opengraphics.org/tiki-index.php?page=FrequentlyAskedQuestions Open Graphics Project FAQ] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080818185406/http://wiki.opengraphics.org/tiki-index.php?page=FrequentlyAskedQuestions |date=2008-08-18}}, retrieved 25 November 2008</ref> and the [[Balloon Project (hardware)|Balloon Project]] wrote their own license.<ref>[http://balloonboard.org/licence.html Balloon License] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081019221601/http://balloonboard.org/licence.html |date=2008-10-19}}, from balloonboard.org</ref>

==Development==
[[File:Open Source Hardware (OSHW) Logo on blank PCB.jpg|thumb|The OSHW (Open Source Hardware) logo [[silkscreening|silkscreened]] on an unpopulated [[printed circuit board|PCB]]]]The adjective "open-source" not only refers to a specific set of freedoms applying to a product, but also generally presupposes that the product is the object or the result of a "process that relies on the contributions of geographically dispersed developers via the [[Internet]]."<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gacek |first1=C. |last2=Arief |first2=B. |date=January 2004 |title=The many meanings of open source |journal=IEEE Software |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=34–40 |issn=0740-7459 |citeseerx=10.1.1.584.5392 |s2cid=11727447 |doi=10.1109/MS.2004.1259206}}</ref> In practice however, in both fields of open-source hardware and open-source software, products may either be the result of a development process performed by a closed team in a private setting or by a community in a public environment, the first case being more frequent than the second which is more challenging.<ref name=":0"/> Establishing a community-based product development process faces several challenges such as: to find appropriate product data management tools, document not only the product but also the development process itself, accepting losing ubiquitous control over the project, ensure continuity in a context of fickle participation of voluntary project members, among others.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bonvoisin |first1=Jérémy |last2=Thomas |first2=Laetitia |last3=Mies |first3=Robert |last4=Gros |first4=Céline |last5=Stark |first5=Rainer |last6=Samuel |first6=Karine |last7=Jochem |first7=Roland |last8=Boujut |first8=Jean-François |date=2017 |title=Current state of practices in open source product development |journal=DS 87-2 Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Engineering Design (ICED 17) Vol 2: Design Processes, Design Organisation and Management, Vancouver, Canada, 21-25.08.2017 |pages=111–120 |language=en |issn=2220-4342 |url=https://www.designsociety.org/publication/39565/current_state_of_practices_in_open_source_product_development}}</ref>
[[File:Arduino Diecimila.jpg|thumb|The [[Arduino]] Diecimila, another popular and early open source hardware design]]

One of the major differences between developing open-source software and developing open-source hardware is that hardware results in tangible outputs, which cost money to prototype and manufacture. As a result, the phrase "free as in speech, not as in beer",<ref>{{cite news |title=Free, as in Beer |magazine=Wired |date=September 2006 |volume=14 |issue=9 |first=Lawrence |last=Lessig |language=en-US |url=https://www.wired.com/2006/09/free-as-in-beer/ |access-date=2017-09-09}}</ref> more-formally known as [[gratis versus libre]], distinguishes between the idea of zero cost and the freedom to use and modify information. While open-source hardware faces challenges in minimizing cost and reducing financial risks for individual project developers, some community members have proposed models to address these needs<ref>{{cite web |last=Benjamin Tincq |date=2014-11-15 |title=Business Models for Open Source Hardware |url=https://fr.slideshare.net/btincq/business-models-for-open-source-hardware}}</ref> Given this, there are initiatives to develop sustainable community funding mechanisms, such as the Open Source Hardware Central Bank.

Extensive discussion has taken place on ways to make open-source hardware as accessible as [[open-source software]]. Providing clear and detailed product documentation is an essential factor facilitating product replication and collaboration in hardware development projects. Practical guides have been developed to help practitioners to do so.<ref>{{cite news |title=Best Practices for Open-Source Hardware 1.0 |date=2012-11-21 |work=Open Source Hardware Association |language=en-US |url=https://www.oshwa.org/sharing-best-practices/ |access-date=2017-09-09}}</ref> Another option is to design products so they are easy to replicate, as exemplified in the concept of [[open-source appropriate technology]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Halfbakery: Open Source Hardware Initiative |url=http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Open_20Source_20Hardware_20Initiative |access-date=2008-02-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080224152510/http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Open_20Source_20Hardware_20Initiative |archive-date=2008-02-24}}</ref>

The process of developing open-source hardware in a community-based setting is alternatively called [[open design]], open source development<ref>{{cite journal |last=McAloone |first=Asta Fjeldsted, Gudrun Adalsteinsdottir, Thomas J. Howard and Tim |date=2012 |title=Open Source Development of Tangible Products |journal=DS 71: Proceedings of NordDesign 2012, the 9th NordDesign Conference, Aarlborg University, Denmark. 22-24.08.2012 |language=en |url=https://www.designsociety.org/publication/38539/open_source_development_of_tangible_products}}</ref> or [[open source product development]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Open Source Product Development - The Meaning and Relevance of {{!}} Kerstin Balka {{!}} Springer |language=en |publisher=Gabler Verlag |year=2011 |series=Forschungs-/Entwicklungs-/Innovations-Management |isbn=9783834931535 |url=https://www.springer.com/us/book/9783834931535}}</ref> All these terms are examples of the [[open-source model]] applicable for the development of any product, including software, hardware, cultural and educational. Does open design and open-source hardware design process involves new design practices, or raises requirements for new tools? is the question of openness really key in OSH?.<ref>{{cite journal |date=2021 |title=Seven observations and research questions about Open Design and Open Source Hardware |journal=Design Science |language=en |volume=7 |issue=E22 |s2cid=239108970 |last1=Bonvoisin |first1=Jérémy |last2=Mies |first2=Robert |last3=Boujut |first3=Jean-François |doi=10.1017/dsj.2021.14 |doi-access=free}}</ref> See [[open source product development#Delineation with other terms|here]] for a delineation of these terms.

A major contributor to the production of open-source hardware product designs is the scientific community. There has been considerable work to produce open-source hardware for scientific hardware using a combination of open-source electronics and [[3-D printing]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=Building Research Equipment with Free, Open-Source Hardware |year=2012 |last1=Pearce |first1=Joshua M. |journal=Science |volume=337 |issue=6100 |pages=1303–1304 |pmid=22984059 |bibcode=2012Sci...337.1303P |s2cid=44722829 |doi=10.1126/science.1228183 |url=https://www.academia.edu/1861756}}</ref><ref>[[Joshua M. Pearce]],''Open-Source Lab:How to Build Your Own Hardware and Reduce Research Costs'', Elsevier, 2014. {{ISBN|9780124104624}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Pearce |first=Joshua M. |date=2017-03-21 |title=Emerging Business Models for Open Source Hardware |journal=Journal of Open Hardware |language=en |volume=1 |issue=1 |issn=2514-1708 |doi=10.5334/joh.4 |doi-access=free |url=https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1096&context=materials_fp}}</ref> Other sources of open-source hardware production are vendors of chips and other electronic components sponsoring contests with the provision that the participants and winners must share their designs. ''Circuit Cellar'' magazine organizes some of these contests.

==Open-source labs==
A guide has been published ([[Open-Source Lab (book)]] by [[Joshua Pearce]]) on using [[open-source electronics]] and [[3D printing]] to make [[Open-Source Lab (book)|open-source labs]]. Today, scientists are creating many such labs. Examples include:

*[[Boston Open Source Science Laboratory]], Somerville, Massachusetts
*[[BYU Open Source Lab]], [[Brigham Young University]]<ref>{{cite web |title=BYU Open Source Lab |url=https://osl.byu.edu/ |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
*[[Michigan Tech]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Pearce Research Group - Current Projects |first=Joshua |last=Pearce |url=http://www.mse.mtu.edu/~pearce/Projects.html |access-date=16 April 2015}}</ref>
*[[National Tsing Hua University]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Urban Lab at NTHU |first=Pawel |last=Urban |url=http://www.urbanlab.tw |access-date=16 November 2017}}</ref>
*[[OSU Open Source Lab]], [[Oregon State University]]
*[[Open Source Research Lab]], [[University of Texas]] at El Paso

==Business models==
Open hardware companies are experimenting with [[business model]]s.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Emerging Business Models for Open Source Hardware |journal=Journal of Open Hardware |volume=1 |issue=2 |page=2 |year=2017 |last1=Pearce |first1=Joshua M. |doi=10.5334/joh.4 |doi-access=free}}</ref> For example, [[littleBits]] implements [[business models for open-source software|open-source business models]] by making available the circuit designs in each electronics module, in accordance with the [[CERN Open Hardware Licence|CERN Open Hardware License Version]] 1.2.<ref name="littleBits April 2015">{{cite news |last1=Saddlemire |first1=Katie |title=What does "Open Source" mean? |work=littleBits |date=14 April 2015 |ref=littleBits |url=https://support.littlebits.cc/hc/en-us/articles/201479557-What-does-Open-Source-mean- |access-date=26 May 2015}}</ref> Another example is [[Arduino]], which registered its name as a [[trademark]]; others may manufacture products from Arduino designs but cannot call the products Arduino products.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Build It. Share It. Profit. Can Open Source Hardware Work? |journal=[[Wired (website)|Wired]] |date=2008-10-20 |url=https://www.wired.com/techbiz/startups/magazine/16-11/ff_openmanufacturing?currentPage=all |access-date=16 April 2015}}</ref> There are many applicable business models for implementing some open-source hardware even in traditional firms. For example, to accelerate development and technical innovation, the [[photovoltaic]] industry has experimented with partnerships, franchises, secondary supplier and completely open-source models.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Open-source development of solar photovoltaic technology |year=2012 |last1=Buitenhuis |first1=A.J. |last2=Pearce |first2=J.M. |journal=Energy for Sustainable Development |volume=16 |issue=3 |pages=379–388 |s2cid=109156001 |doi=10.1016/j.esd.2012.06.006 |url=https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1030&context=materials_fp|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Recently, many open-source hardware projects have been funded via [[crowdfunding]] on platforms such as [[Indiegogo]], [[Kickstarter]], or [[Crowd Supply]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Crowd Supply Boosts Open Hardware |last=Byfield |first=Bruce |website=Linux Magazine |language=en-US |url=http://www.linux-magazine.com/Online/Features/Crowd-Supply-Boosts-Open-Hardware |access-date=2017-04-13}}</ref>

==Reception and impact==
[[Richard Stallman]], the founder of the [[free software]] movement, was in 1999 skeptical on the idea and relevance of ''free hardware'' (his terminology for what is now known as open-source hardware).<ref name="linuxlicense">{{cite web |last=Mickel |first=Jack |date=2024-05-24 |title=Frelan Hardware |url=https://www.frelanhardware.co.uk/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240518160024/https://www.frelanhardware.co.uk/ |archive-date=18 May 2024 |access-date=2024-05-20 |website=Frelan |quote="Hardware is the backbone of innovation, transforming ideas into tangible reality, one circuit at a time.""}}</ref> In a 2015 article in [[Wired (website)|Wired]] Magazine, he modified this attitude; he acknowledged the importance of free hardware, but still saw no ethical parallel with free software.<ref name="wiredrms"/> Also, Stallman prefers the term ''free hardware design'' over ''open source hardware'', a request which is consistent with his earlier rejection of the term [[open source software]] (see also [[Alternative terms for free software]]).<ref name="wiredrms">{{cite journal |first=Richard |last=Stallman |date=2015-03-11 |title=Why We Need Free Digital Hardware Designs |journal=[[Wired (website)|Wired]] |url=https://www.wired.com/2015/03/need-free-digital-hardware-designs/ |access-date=2016-01-14}}</ref>

Other authors, such as Professor [[Joshua Pearce]] have argued there is an ethical imperative for open-source hardware – specifically with respect to [[open-source appropriate technology]] for [[sustainable development]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=The case for open source appropriate technology |year=2012 |last1=Pearce |first1=Joshua M. |journal=Environment, Development and Sustainability |volume=14 |issue=3 |pages=425–431 |s2cid=153800807 |doi=10.1007/s10668-012-9337-9 |doi-access=free |url=https://www.academia.edu/1517361}}</ref> In 2014, he also wrote the book ''[[Open-Source Lab (book)|Open-Source Lab: How to Build Your Own Hardware and Reduce Research Costs]]'', which details the development of [[free and open-source hardware]] primarily for [[scientists]] and university [[Faculty (academic staff)|faculty]].<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/feb/21/3d-printing-offer-developing-savings-replica-kit 3D printing could offer developing world savings on replica lab kit] - ''The Guardian'', Friday 21 February 2014 01.59 EST</ref> Pearce in partnership with Elsevier introduced a scientific journal ''[[HardwareX]]''. It has featured many examples of applications of open-source hardware for scientific purposes.

Further, {{Ill|Vasilis Kostakis|et}} et al<ref name="auto">{{cite journal |last1=Kostakis |first1=Vasilis |last2=Pazaitis |first2=Alex |last3=Liarokapis |first3=Minas |date=2023-06-20 |title=Beyond high-tech versus low-tech: A tentative framework for sustainable urban data governance |journal=BigData&Society |volume=10 |issue=1 |language=en |issn=2053-9517 |doi=10.1177/20539517231180583 |doi-access=free}}</ref> have argued that open-source hardware may promote values of equity, diversity and sustainability. Open-source hardware initiative transcend traditional dichotomies of global-local, urban-rural, and developed-developing contexts. They may leverage cultural differences, environmental conditions, and local needs/resources, while embracing hyper-connectivity, to foster sustainability and collaboration rather than conflict.<ref name="auto"/> However, open-source hardware does face some challenges and contradictions. It must navigate tensions between inclusiveness, standardization, and functionality.<ref name="auto"/> Additionally, while open-source hardware may reduce pressure on natural resources and local populations, it still relies on energy- and material-intensive infrastructures, such as the Internet. Despite these complexities, Kostakis et al argue, the open-source hardware framework can serve as a catalyst for connecting and unifying diverse local initiatives under radical narratives, thus inspiring genuine change.<ref name="auto"/>

OSH has grown as an academic field through the two journals [[Journal of Open Hardware]] (JOH) and [[HardwareX]].  These journals compete to publish the best OSH designs, and each define their own requirements for what constitutes acceptable quality of design documents, including specific requirements for build instructions, bill of materials, CAD files, and licences. These requirements are often used by other OSH projects to define how to do an OSH release. These journals also publish papers contributing to the debate about how OSH should be defined and used.

==See also==
{{Portal|Free and open-source software|Manufacturing}}
* [[Computer numeric control]] (CNC)
* [[Fab lab]]
* [[Hardware backdoor]]
* [[List of open-source hardware projects]]
* [[List of open-source mobile phones]]
* [[NVDLA]] (NVIDIA Deep Learning Accelerator)
* [[Open-source robotics]]
* [[Open innovation]]
* [[Open manufacturing]]
* [[Open Source Ecology]]
* [[Rapid prototyping]]
* [[Reuse]]
* [[RISC-V]], an open-source computer instruction set architecture
* [[Simputer]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* ''Building Open Source Hardware: DIY Manufacturing for Hackers and Makers'' by Alicia Gibb, Addison Wesley, 7 Dec. 2014, {{ISBN|0321906047}}
* ''Open Source Hardware Technology Paperback'' by Fouad Soliman, Sanaa A. Kamh, Karima A. Mahmoud, Publisher : Lap Lambert Academic Publishing, 24 Mar. 2020, {{ISBN|6202516399}}
* ''Open-Source Lab: How to Build Your Own Hardware and Reduce Research Costs'' by Joshua M. Pearce, Elsevier, 17 Dec. 2013, {{ISBN|0124104622}}

{{Commons category|Open hardware}}
{{Scholia|topic}}
{{Electronic systems}}
{{Linux devices}}
{{Intellectual property activism}}
{{Open navbox}}

[[Category:Open-source hardware| ]]
[[Category:Free culture movement]]
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