Open design
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Open Design is a term that applies to the investigation and potential of open source and the collaborative nature of the internet to create physical objects. People apply their skills and time to projects for the common good, perhaps where funding or commercial interest is lacking.
The "Open Design" movement is currently fairly nascent but holds great potential for the future in developing products and physical systems. There are certain barriers to overcome for open design when compared to software development where there are mature and widely used tools available and the duplication and distribution of code cost next to nothing. Creating, testing and modifying physical designs is not quite so straightforward because of the effort and time required to create the physical artifact.
Suitable CAD software for more advanced collaborative design
With respect to the issues mentioned above, it is likely that at some point advanced open-source CAD software with built-in physics engines and the ability to model kinematics and dynamics will aid engineers and designers greatly by allowing a lot of testing to be done virtually. For advanced collaborative design projects the availability of user-friendly open-source CAD software will be essential along with open standards for associated file formats, as well as file converters to extract data from files created with proprietary CAD packages.For simpler designs - those aimed at end users in developing countries for example - simple text, sketches, diagrams and photographs are perfectly adequate, although perhaps not as straight forward to modify as CAD files. Where textual instructions are concerned the overhead of translation efforts should be considered to enable the designs to reach as wide an audience as possible.
Open Design Organizations
Open Design is currently a fledgling movement consisting of several unrelated or loosely related initiates. Many of these organizations are single, funded projects, while a few organizations are focusing on an area needing development. Only one organization to date is attempting to organize the movement into a large-scale collaborative effort whose role is analogous to that of sourceforge in the open source movement.
Broad Organizations
- [Designbreak] is a new open design organization – a nonprofit organization with an elegant development interface including a system for displaying CAD files in context. Designbreak purports to actively seek out or fund the manufacture of designs that have an application for the social good. Users may apply for both open design and research grants under this organization; paid employment is available where appropriate to leaders of funded projects.
Focused Organizations
- [Thinkcycle] is perhaps the oldest successful open design organization. Think cycle has a small, active community of participants. Several ThinkCycle projects have won development and innovation awards. Features limited message board type collaboration. The primary focus of Thinkcycle is on challenges among underserved communities and the environment.
- [wiki.villageearth.org] Village Earth's Appropriate Technology Wiki Project is a small, new wiki project focused on the development of a database of appropriate technologies.
- [Open Design Alliance]The Open Design Alliance is an association of software developers and users committed to promoting open, industry-standard formats for the exchange of CAD data.
- [www.architectureforhumanity.org] Architecture for Humanity is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in 1999 to promote architectural and design solutions to global, social and humanitarian crises. Through competitions, workshops, educational forums, partnerships with aid organizations and other activities, Architecture for Humanity creates opportunities for architects and designers from around the world to help communities in need. We believe that where resources and expertise are scarce, innovative, sustainable and collaborative design can make a difference.
Creative Projects
- [link] Open Design products by designer Ronen Kadushin .
- [The Open Source Green Vehicle (OSGV) Project] is an open source project and business plan aimed to create affordable and super fuel efficient cars and trucks to reverse greenhouse effect and to provide an inexpensive means of transportation to developing countries.
- Hind/CM A beautiful, brilliant Computing Machine for Hindustan(INDIA) and around the World.
- Ronja - a completely open source optical wireless networking device
Literature
- [Episodes of Collective Invention] (Peter B. Meyer, August 2003) An article on several historical examples of what could be called "open design."
- [The Political Economy of Open Source Software] (Steven Weber, June 2000) An article outlining the development of Linux from a political-science perspective. The conclusion suggests that the open-source development model is suited to disciplines besides software development.
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