Open Source Hardware Seminar#
In recent years, the success of open source has led its application beyond software to the realm of open source hardware. But how can we collectively utilize information embedded in material objects for collaborative work…?
We created this seminar to share how open hardware is changing the way we think about science and technology, towards a more human-centred and collaborative paradigm. We were greatly inspired by initiatives like Open Hardware Makers, the Open Hardware Academy, the GOSH community, The Turing Way, Open Life Science and the materials produced by the Open Source Hardware Association.
We are in turn making these materials available under a CC-BY license, so others can keep building momentum towards more open source hardware.
About this book
This online book contains all materials used in an 8-weeks seminar that took place weekly, in-person, at the Technical University Berlin - Chair of Quality Science. The first edition of this seminar took place in May 2023. It was designed and run by Dr. Julieta Arancio and Ing. Robert Mies.
Seminar structure#
The materials are organized in eight weeks. The seminar provides students with the fundamentals of open source hardware, emerging business models, licensing options, documentation practices, the distinctive features of collaborative product development and an overview of grassroots communities in open source hardware.
Each week’s material is presented as written content plus images from slides used for in-person teaching.
About the OSHS at TU Berlin#
With the goal of promoting a cooperative, interdisciplinary space, the seminar was open to students with both technical and non-technical backgrounds. In the 2023 May edition, participants were undergraduate and master students in the fields of engineering and other industrial-related disciplines.
Because open source hardware provides opportunities for project-based learning, the methodology included both theory lessons and work with practice partners. The planning, analysis and reflections of this work were presented by the end of the seminar. Students got feedback on their projects and finally had to produce a report for grading purposes.
In its first edition the practice partners were:
Trikka - A young Berlin startup for circulation of furniture, lamps and other products made from open, universal parts.
Playtronica Berlin Station - A space to explore electronic music in a fun and creative way.
Contributions#
This book is built as a JupyterBook. If you see any errors in this book or if you would like to contribute new material, you are invited to open a GitHub issue in the project’s repository.
How to cite this book#
This book has an archived copy in Zenodo:
Cite as:
Arancio, J., & Mies, R. (2023). Open Source Hardware Seminar (v1.0.0). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10278818
Contact#
For any questions or comments, please write to julieta[at]orfg.org