Return on investment for open source scientific hardware development
Open Access
- 20 June 2015
- journal article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Science and Public Policy
- Vol. 43 (2), 192-195
- https://doi.org/10.1093/scipol/scv034
Abstract
The availability of free and open source hardware designs that can be replicated with low-cost 3D printers provides large values to scientists who need highly-customized low-volume production scientific equipment. Digital manufacturing technologies have only recently become widespread and the return on investment (ROI) was not clear, so funding for open hardware development was historically sparse. This paper clarifies a method for determining an ROI for the development of scientific free and open source hardware (FOSH). By using an open source hardware design that can be manufactured digitally, the relatively minor development costs result in enormous ROIs for the scientific community. A case study is presented of a syringe pump released under open license, which results in ROIs for funders ranging from hundreds to thousands of percent after only a few months. It is clear that policies encouraging FOSH scientific hardware development should be adopted by organizations interested in maximizing return on public investments for science.This publication has 22 references indexed in Scilit:
- Robotics-assisted mass spectrometry assay platform enabled by open-source electronicsBiosensors and Bioelectronics, 2015
- No money, no researchNature Methods, 2014
- 3D printing of MRI compatible components: Why every MRI research group should have a low-budget 3D printerMedical Engineering & Physics, 2014
- Rescuing US biomedical research from its systemic flawsProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2014
- Evaluation of 3D Printing and Its Potential Impact on Biotechnology and the Chemical SciencesAnalytical Chemistry, 2014
- A low cost, easy to build, portable, and universal autosampler for liquidsMethods in Oceanography, 2013
- Sharing blueprints for better researchNature Methods, 2013
- OpenSpinMicroscopy: an open-source integrated microscopy platformNature Methods, 2013
- The Maker MovementInnovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization, 2012
- Openness makes software better soonerNature, 2003