Bringing Open Source to the Global Lab Bench
- Author: Jay Lloyd
- Full Title: Bringing Open Source to the Global Lab Bench
- Tags: #open_source #hardware
- URL: https://issues.org/open-source-science-hardware-gosh-arancio-dosemagen/
Highlights
- Although there are differences in practice, open hardware projects operate on similar principles to open-source software, and they span disciplines ranging from nanotechnology to environmental monitoring. GOSH defines the field as “any piece of hardware used for scientific investigations that can be obtained, assembled, used, studied, modified, shared, and sold by anyone. (View Highlight)
- By being significantly cheaper and easier to maintain, open hardware enables more people in more places to do science. (View Highlight)
- Open hardware addresses a significant hurdle for global scientists: science equipment is often expensive to purchase and difficult or impossible to customize or repair. New research questions—or questions in new research settings—often require that tools be modified or customized. Lack of access to designs makes tools more difficult to customize, leading to delays and additional costs. (View Highlight)
- The World Health Organization estimates that 70% of donated medical equipment in sub-Saharan Africa is out of service or not in use due to lack of authorized service engineers and necessary parts. (View Highlight)
- In Argentina, for example, a group of academics, family farmers, and activists used open hardware to form an “open agroecology lab.” Lab participants adapt these tools to support local research on soil health, a line of inquiry that is overlooked by official research agendas dominated by industrial agriculture. Using OpenFlexure and other open hardware tools, the group is studying the response of soil microbes to more natural ecological production models, aiming to build a body of knowledge for regional farmers who wish to convert to more environmentally friendly farming methods. (View Highlight)
- Funding tends to be more readily offered for “breakthroughs” and first-of-their-kind ideas, but is comparatively scant for infrastructure and its maintenance. (View Highlight)