2009年度开源硬件项目出炉

MAKE杂志发布了 年度开源硬件项目报告，2009年，在19个类别中共有超过129个开源硬件项目，比2008年的60个项目高出一倍。开源硬件类似开源软件，不同的是它除了提供软件源代码外，还会提供硬件图纸，固件，物料清单，零部件清单等资料。MAKE从中挑选出18个类别的代表性项目： 3D打印机类包括Fab@Home、MakerBot和RepRap等项目；文化反堵类设备包括手机信号堵塞器、关闭电视的万能遥控器TV-B-Gone等； Elphel开源摄像机；通讯类包括 Openmoko开源手机；无线和GPS类包括 Open GPS tracker等；以及 无人飞行器和 机器人类别等。

3D printing - Open source hardware is now making things. Physical things you can print out, over the last few year 2-3 projects have really gained momentum and made some wonderful advances in low-cost desktop 3D printing. Projects include Fab@Home, MakerBot and RepRap. A new project was also added this year, s DIY open source construction set for experimental personal fabrication (view projects).

Arduino - Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. It's intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments. Perhaps one of the most successful open source hardware projects to date. Dozens of projects are included in the guide (view projects).

Arduino shields - This is a new category mostly because there are so many open source hardware shields in 2009. These "shields" add music, internet, GPS and additional functions (view projects).

Blinky projects - Open source hardware tends to have a lot of projects that blinky, pulse, and light up. It's a hard category to define exactly, so I'm calling it blinky projects. From a "Larsen scanner" (cylon) to making your bicycle spell words in the air, all of these projects are filled with LEDs (view projects).

Clocks and watches - This year there are some really timely additions to the list, clocks! From a retro Russian tube clock to an open source watch. These time pieces are open and timely (view projects).

Culture jamming - These projects are not only open source hardware, they aim to open ours minds a bit. A cell phone jammer, a universal device that turns off TVs and an open source homeland security non-lethal weapon (view projects).

Development platforms and tools - These are tools and platforms, a wide category - but filled with chip programmers, mini-computers, debugging hardware and tons of project to - make other projects! (view projects).

Energy, Power and Green - These open source hardware projects power things or have something to do with powering devices, saving the planet and monitoring power/energy in some way (view projects).

Fun, games and entertainment - These open source hardware projects that are more fun than anything else, from net connect set top boxes to fun games (and gaming systems) you can make yourself (view projects).

Imaging - There's only project, but it's a great start. Open source cameras for everyone aren't here yet, but there's one project that is pioneering the field... of vision! (view projects).

Medical and bio - The open source hardware projects are medical or biological. While this category only has a few I expect this to be the largest category in 5 years or less. Open sourcing medical equipment around the world seems like the most logical step in the evolution of open source hardware, check out some of the first projects! (view projects).

Music - Music is one of the largest categories: synthesizers, guitar amps, MP3 players to an arcade MIDI device. These projects not only are open, they're musical (one of the old forms of "open information") so that's twice the goodness rolled in to one (view projects).

Processors - You can actually make and fabricate your own chips, I have met anyone who does this but there are a couple huge projects that openly share CPUs and on-chip interconnections. Living room chip fabs are a few years away (well, Jeri has one) but here's a glimpse (view projects).

Religious - Open source hardware has made inroads in to religious from an LED menorah to a blinky Christmas card. These projects almost belong in the "Blinky projects" category, but I thought they should get their own. I suspect more religions will be open sourcing their hardware soon (view projects).

Robotics - From controlling motors to a robot arm you can make yourself, robotics is a new and growing category in open source hardware. While there's not a ton of projects many robotics groups are using Arduinos (FIRST is now) so I think we'll see this category double and triple in 2010, here are some of the early pioneers (view projects).

Telecommunications - These projects use the telephone system in some way or are related to cell phones (or in one example, are cell phones). It's popular to open source the software on phones now, and slowly but surely we might see more phone systems go this way to if there are benefits for the companies and the customers (view projects).

Transportation - There's just one in the transportation category, an electronic fuel injection project. While there is always talk of an "open source" automobile, there mostly design projects and not a project with downloads, files, software, etc - in a few years we might see a physical open source hardware car however, there seems to be a lot of interest (view projects).

UAVs - A Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is an aircraft that has the capability of fully autonomous flight, without a pilot in control. Amateur UAVs are non-military and non-commercial. They typically fly under "recreational" exceptions to FAA regulations on UAVs, so long as the pilots/programmers keep them within tight limits on altitude and distance. Usually the UAV is controlled manually by Radio Control (RC) at take-off and landing, and switched into autonomous mode only at a safe altitude (view projects).

Wireless and GPS - From an open GPS tracker to a small wireless device that works with the Arduino, this is a fairly new category and likely one that will grow as more spectrum frees up (view projects).