The availability of free and open source hardware designs that can be replicated with low-cost 3-D printers provide large values to scientists that need highly-customized low-volume production scientific equipment. Digital manufacturing technologies have only recently become widespread and the return on investment (ROI) was not clear, so funding for open hardware development was historically sparse. This paper clarifies a method for determining an ROI for FOSH scientific hardware development. By using open source hardware design that can be manufactured digitally the relatively minor development costs result in enormous ROIs for the scientific community. A case study is presented of an syringe pump released under open-licenses, which results in ROIs for funders ranging from 100s to 1,000s of percent after only a few months. It is clear that policies encouraging free and open source scientific hardware development should be made by organizations interested in maximizing return on public investments for science.
- audio summary
- Open source lab equipment interview on Radio New Zealand - Ogg,MP3
- 6 steps to calculate ROI for an open hardware project- opensource.com
See also[edit | edit source]
- Quantifying the Value of Open Source Hardware Development
- Building research equipment with free, open-source hardware
- Open-source colorimeter
- Open-source 3D-printable optics equipment
- Open source science
- Open source 3-D printing of OSAT
- Category:Open source optics
- Open-source hardware
- Open-source hardware for science in Ecuador
In the News[edit | edit source]
- Making a Difference with Open Source Science Equipment - Michigan Tech News, Eureka Alert, Newswise, Phys.org, Science News Online, Science360, ECN Magazine (Electronic Component News), Science Daily, Bright Surf, Innovation Canada, Technology.org
- Open source 3D printing has high rate of return on investment, Joshua Pearce says in new study- 3Ders
- New paper models return on investment for 3D printed syringe pump drivers - Gathering for Open Science Hardware
- Open source science equipment can make the difference? University of Michigan says… - Open Source Electronics
- Open Source Science Equipment - Disabled World
- Michigan Tech Research Produces Open Source Lab Gear - Tech Century
- Open Source Lab Equipment At MTU - The Keewanaw Report
- News From the Field:Making a difference with open source science equipment - National Science Foundation News
- Apple uses Mesos, 3D printed syringe, and more news - Open Source.com
- What I learned at OHSummit 2015 - The Webivore
- New paper models return on investment for 3D printed syringe pump drivers - Gathering for Open Source Hardware
- 开源硬件的价值评估 - Linux Story (China)