January 6th, 2008
Open Source Cars and More
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) might be in full throws this week, but some of the coolest devices may be found off the Net — blueprints and all. A burgeoning trend in open source hardware is putting up some devices on the Web — from machines that make anything (including themselves) to cars — with the specs to make them yourself. While still in its infancy, the trend could redefine hardware cost models much as its done for software.
Case in point is today’s piece in the N.Y Times today about Neuros Technology International’s new open source video recorder, the Neuros OSD. Docs for mucking around with the OSD (Open Source Device) are available on the company’s wiki and an online community is even available to help along in the development.
Currently the device uses memory card or USB storage to store video and is great for consolidating old video libraries spread across video tapes and DVDs along with TV programs received off of cable boxes and other devices with standard video output. Hobbyists could in theory though hack on other video inputs presumably as well. (For the more techno-intimidated, the device could be bought for about $230 at major retail electronics stores).
What’s so exciting about projects like the OSD is their ability to tap into the “long tail effect” for hardware. In the past, the cost models of major brands, like Blockbuster, only made it profitable to go after the markets with the broadest appeal. The Web allows content producers to target smaller niches providing new opportunities for smaller developers.
Increasingly, it looks like the same will be said for the hardware market. Providing the building blocks for constructing hardware components broadens the accessibility of hardware design. Gadget-lovers without PhDs can begin experimenting with building appliances. This richness allows communities to apply the “wisdom of the crowds” to hardware development. It’s from here that the next iPhone may well be fostered.
BugLabs hopes it’s Bug hardware platform will take care of some of that work. The “Lego of Gadgetry”, the Bug allows consumers to snap together modules to form their own gadgets. These modules include a keyboard and video output and in this quarter Bug will offer a GPS, digital camera, touch-sensitive LCD screen, and an accelerometer module The core, a LINUX computer, that handles all of the interfacing between appliances.
But other projects are don’t require buying into a vendor’s platforms nor are they only focused on gadgets. There are even open source cars for one. Here’s a list of some of the initiatives going on:
David Greenfield is the principal in STAnalytics. a global technology-marketing consultancy where he advises enterprises on emerging technologies. See David Greenfield's full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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