openhardware

Open hardware is a movement and category of physical artifacts whose design files are made publicly available under licenses that permit study, modification, distribution, and fabrication. This typically includes electronic schematics, PCB layouts, mechanical drawings, bill of materials, firmware or software running on the device, and accompanying documentation. The aim is transparency, reproducibility, and collaborative improvement.

Open hardware designs are shared in repositories and under open licenses, and are often accompanied by community governance and standards to facilitate reuse. The Open Source Hardware Association defines criteria for what constitutes open hardware and supports certification.

Common licenses include the CERN Open Hardware License and the TAPR Open Hardware License, which permit redistribution and derivative works under terms that preserve openness. Some projects seek OSHW certification from OSHWA to signal compliance with the open hardware definition.

The movement has produced several well-known projects and communities, such as Arduino boards, RepRap 3D printers, and OpenCores CPU cores, which have demonstrated practical open hardware in education, prototyping, and small-scale manufacturing.

Applications include education, prototyping, and supply chain transparency; benefits include lower barriers to entry, reuse of components, and community-driven quality improvements. However, challenges include ensuring safety and regulatory compliance, managing licenses and attribution, potential quality variation, and the need for robust documentation and manufacturing-ready files.