Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Summary
Personal fabrication offers a potential alternative to mass production for the creation of
hardware. This requires effective use of the available fabrication processes, such as 3D
printing, laser cutting, and printed circuit board fabrication. As the Arduino case study
demonstrates, the success of open source hardware also depends on a number of other
factors, like the complements of the hardware itself and the business decision of various
actors. Bringing open source hardware into our daily lives (as I try to do in my research)
requires careful design of the devices themselves and the process of involving people in
their production. Personal fabrication suggests new design principles. The effectiveness of
these, and broader questions about the future of technology, will determine the extent to
which digital technology can make peer production feasible as an alternative to mass pro-
duction for hardware.
