Sunday, December 2, 2012

Last Thoughts: the Idealism of Open Source Hardware

Over the past two months, I have done my best to bring some of the many different sides of open source hardware together onto one site. By doing this, I hope that I have helped illuminate the general potential of this new way of internet collaboration, even as I explored its various manifestations. To finish this blog, I would like to turn to the idealism that seems to lie at the heart of each open source hardware movement, whether it be Arduino, RepRap, or OSE.

RepRap and OSE both take a deeply optimistic view of both the creativity of the individual and the willingness of people to change. Almost in the manner of the wonderfully optimistic utopian socialists of the early twentieth century, each of their long term goals include a "major paradigm shift" in the possession of the means of production. In reality, both the idea of universal 3D printing replacing the global trade of manufactured goods and that of micro-scale DIY industrial machinery taking over from macro-scale agricultural and construction firms seem extremely unlikely, at least in any general way. Most people are too tied in to the existing systems of production and trade for either idea to make much headway, especially in the developed world on which the organizations are currently based.

This does not mean that their efforts are pointless, however. Although they may never achieve the earth-shaking changes to which their avowed mission goals aspire, I believe they will still have a positive effect. 

As it improves, RepRap's printers will likely become more attractive as cheaper (compared to commercial 3D printers) design tools to businesses and artists. Also, RepRap's open source nature will continue to drive innovation from the hobbyist side of 3D printing, perhaps pushing forward the companies that form the consumer and business orientated side of 3D printing in a way parallel to the computer revolution of the past decades. 

Likewise, I think OSE will continue to grow in popularity among micro farmers, small businesses, and the environmentally conscious. Their machines actually seem to be pretty good, and although I do not think that many average American citizens will take up the grand DIY, self-reliant vision of OSE anytime soon, I think that their GVCS platform could have a future as a source for cheap, well-designed small-scale industrial and agricultural devices. Also, if OSE can get the entire platform running, it could see application in the developing world as a alternative or at least a precursor to Western capital-intensive macro systems

Perhaps the two organizations should take a humbler position more along the lines of Arduino. Arduino is content to simply produce its motherboard and then release it to those interested, espousing no splendid visions of a revolutionized world, but still keeping at its core a sense of positive faith in the ingenuity of other people. The organization keeps the free idealism of open source hardware, while not vaingloriously over-promising anything. It is thus more capable of seeming a real innovation and less of a hobbyist's dream than RepRap or OSE. 

Whatever the chosen approach, it cannot be denied that each of these open source hardware organizations works from a basic desire for the improvement of humanity. Open source hardware by its collaborative nature is less dependent on self-advancement and more reliant on an unselfish desire to enable others to produce something cool and better themselves. Arduino manages this with perhaps less arrogance than RepRap or OSE by not overreaching itself, but each still stays more or less true to the course. Open source hardware is still in its fledgling stages, but its ability to keep going on the basis of this idealism is encouraging for innovators everywhere. 

1 comment:

  1. Balancing idealism and pragmatism is always a challenge! It has been great to read your blog this quarter and learn about open hardware. It was a topic that I hadn't heard about before, and OSE is certainly a cool organization.

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