OSHWA is looking for an Open Hardware Summit Chair

Author : alicia Date : July 28, 2021

The Open Source Hardware Association (OSHWA) is looking for a Chair to the annual Open Hardware Summit set for April 22, 2022 in NYC @ NYU. This is an excellent opportunity to help shape the first in-person Summit since 2019, as well as to connect with the Open Hardware Community.

The Summit Chair helps to oversee the annual Open Hardware Summit. They work with OSHWA’s Executive Director, the Speaker Chair, and venue staff to produce the Summit.  The Summit Chair is also an ex officio member of the OSHWA board for the duration of the position. 

The Summit Chair is a paid, part-time position of $10,000. It begins in September of 2021 and concludes in early May of 2022.  The Open Hardware Summit Playbook establishes milestones that allow for flexible time commitments in the months leading up to the Summit. The Chair should expect to be on site and work full days on April 20, 21, and 22 of 2022. As we approach the Summit dates, the time commitment of the position will ramp up. OSHWA pays travel expenses related to the Summit.

OSHWA strongly encourages all people to apply (please circulate widely), especially those who hold the following intersecting identities: Black, Native or Indigenous, People of Color, LGBTQIA+, non-binary, persons living with disabilities, neurodivergent, young, speak English as a second language, and others with lived experience in overlooked and/or underestimated communities.

The main tasks for the Summit Chair are:

  • Regularly updating the Summit website (runs on WordPress) 
  • Promoting the Summit to open hardware and open hardware-adjacent communities in the NYC area and around the world
  • Overseeing the Summit social media presence 
  • Recruiting Summit keynote speakers
  • Managing the Ada Lovelace Fellowship application process
  • Designing the Summit staging and visual identity (either directly or by coordinating with an outside designer) 
  • Planning any pre or post parties (COVID permitting)

The Summit Chair is not expected to:

  • Fundraise for the Summit
  • Make venue or catering decisions
  • Manage venue A/V
  • Manage ticketing infrastructure
  • Maintain Summit website infrastructure
  • Manage the non-keynote speaker selection process

Candidates for this position must have:

  • Demonstrated experience organizing and managing community events
  • A connection to the open source hardware community
  • Demonstrated ability to set and meet deadlines
  • The ability to be in NYC for the Summit (COVID permitting)

Ideal candidates for this position will also have:

  • Experience promoting events 
  • Experience with community building
  • Experience designing stage and event spaces either directly or as a collaborator with other designers

To Apply, please fill out this form.  OSHWA will begin reviewing applications on August 16 and then on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

OSHWA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity in every aspect of its recruitment and hiring process without regard to age, alienage, caregiver status, childbirth, citizenship status, color, creed, disability, domestic violence victim status, ethnicity, familial status, gender and/or gender identity or expression, marital status, military status, national origin, parental status, partnership status, predisposing genetic characteristics, pregnancy, race, religion, reproductive health decision making, sex, sexual orientation, unemployment status, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons of minority sexual orientation or gender identity, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply for vacant positions at all levels.

Graphic representation of the open source hardware universe as being larger than just microcontrollers

The State of Open Source Hardware in 2021

Author : michael Date : July 21, 2021

Today OSHWA, in collaboration with the Engelberg Center on Innovation Law & Policy at NYU Law, is excited to launch The 2021 State of Open Source Hardware.  This graphic report builds on data from OSHWA’s Open Hardware Certification Program, the annual Open Hardware Summit, and the annual Open Hardware Community Survey.

Map showing the geographic reach of open source hardware registrations over time.

The state of open source hardware is strong.  In the eleven years since the first Open Hardware Summit we have seen open hardware grow, with new communities creating new hardware for new uses around the world.  Hundreds of pieces of open source hardware have been certified as compliant with the Open Hardware Definition from countries on every continent except Antarctica. 

Chart linking the types of certified open source hardware to the countries where the hardware comes from.

A wide range of companies have been built and grown on the foundation of open source hardware.  Dozens of Ada Lovelace Fellows have helped to diversify the open hardware community.  Nonprofit organizations in academia, conservation, science, medical, and more have helped to broaden the impact of open hardware in innumerable ways.  

The results of the community survey makes it clear that people come to open hardware for a range of reasons and use open hardware to address a range of needs.  However they start with open hardware, once they start using it they are hooked. Community members study designs, adapt them, and build upon existing designs in order to achieve their goals.  Open hardware is used in teaching, the development of commercial products, and everything in between.
What are you waiting for? Click over, check it out, and let us know what you think.  While the state of open source hardware is strong in 2021, we think it may get even stronger in the future.

hardwarex + OSHWA certification logo

HardwareX Integrates OSHWA Certification into Paper Submission Process

Author : michael Date : June 2, 2021 Comment : No Comments

Today we are excited to announce that the open hardware journal HardwareX is integrating OSHWA certifications into their paper submission process.  

HardwareX is an open access journal that focuses on free and open source designing, building, and customizing of scientific hardware.  It has long used the Open Source Hardware Definition as a requirement for submissions.  Now HardwareX is also integrating the OSHWA hardware certification program into the paper submission process.

First, HardwareX has updated its guide for authors to encourage (although not require) authors to certify their hardware for open source compliance before, during, or after submitting to HardwareX.  This is a win for authors and for HardwareX.  Authors can use the certification process to make sure that their hardware meets the Open Source Hardware Definition.  Certification is often an iterative process where OSHWA helps creators meet all of the Definition’s requirements.  HardwareX can rely on the OSHWA certification to confirm that hardware complies with the Definition, freeing up resources to review the papers themselves.

Second, OSHWA and HardwareX are standardizing ways to connect HardwareX articles to the Certification Directory.  HardwareX will include OSHWA certification UIDs in their specification tables for articles that include certified hardware.  Creators can update their certification directory listing with the “#HX” tag in the project description, and add a link to the HardwareX manuscript.

As the open hardware community grows, so too do our institutions.  We look forward to finding new ways to collaborate with all of the parts of the community in the future.  If you would like to connect with the certification program, please reach out at [email protected], check out our certification program API, or just certify your own hardware directly!

New Policy Brief on Open Hardware for Science

Author : eric Date : April 14, 2021 Comment : No Comments

The Wilson Center’s Science and Technology Innovation Program has released a new policy brief advocating for government policy support of open source hardware in science. The brief looks at recent developments in government policy surrounding open hardware, highlights the unique ability of open hardware to accelerate innovation and reduce costs, and addresses implementation challenges. Download the policy brief, and read the complimentary series of articles hosted by the Journal of Open Hardware.

Open Source Hardware (and Gateware) for 5G

Author : Javier Serrano Date : March 15, 2021 Comment : No Comments

OSHWA recently sent a response to the 5G Challenge Notice of Inquiry published by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in the US. The Notice of Inquiry focuses on the development of an open-source software stack for 5G wireless communication. In our response we highlighted the role that Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) can play in the path from the radio receiver to the 5G software stack and conversely from the software stack to the radio transmitter. FPGAs can cope with very high data rates, for which pure software solutions can be suboptimal.

It is therefore important that FPGA designs are made part of the challenge, and also that these designs be open-source for the same reasons that it makes sense to open-source the software stack. FPGA design is typically done using Hardware Description Languages (HDLs). HDL code is fed to synthesis, place & route and bitstream generation tools. The bitstream file then configures the FPGA, so its logic gates and flip-flops implement the circuit specified in the design. HDL code is sometimes called “gateware” (a reference to the logic gates it targets) to distinguish it from software.

If researchers and developers are going to collaborate on common open-source gateware and software, they would ideally do so using an open hardware platform. This would democratize access, enlarging the talent pool which can contribute to the effort. It would also protect the development against vendor lock-in and save time and effort on porting to different imperfectly-compatible platforms.

Finally, this could be an opportunity to improve the Free and Open Source Software tools for gateware design. There are thriving communities of open-source software-defined radio and FPGA tool developers, and we believe including them in this challenge and having hardware and gateware in the picture will result in a better 5G for everyone.

New Report on the OSHW Community COVID-19 Response

Author : eric Date : February 4, 2021

The Wilson Center and NYU’s Engelberg Center have released a new report entitled Stitching Together a Solution: Lessons from the Open Source Hardware Response to COVID-19. The report examines how the open source hardware community came together to produce lifesaving medical equipment at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the role of government authorities in that process. It finds that although some parts of the government tried to facilitate the community, in most cases there was a mismatch between what the government expected and what the OSHW community was doing. Nevertheless, the OSHW community significantly augmented the availability of medical supplies through their grassroots response. The report also provides lessons learned and recommendations to help the community and government agencies better respond to future crises together.

Now Accepting Talk Proposals for OHS 2021

Author : eric Date : January 12, 2021

UPDATE: The deadline has been extended one week to 02-18.

As we get approach the 2021 Open Hardware Summit on April 9th, we are now soliciting talk proposals from interested speakers. This year’s summit is virtual and will be held online on Friday 2021-04-09, 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM EDT.

The Open Hardware Summit is for presenting, discussing, and learning about open hardware of all kinds. The summit examines open hardware applications, practices, and theory, ranging from environmental sensors to 3D printable medical devices to open hardware processors and beyond. We are interested in open hardware on its own as well as in relation to topics such as software, design, business, law, and education. Past talks have featured topics such as advances in space propulsion, humanitarian projects, right to repair legislation, open hardware in education, and open hardware marketing.

For our eleventh edition we are especially looking for speakers who can offer insights around the role of open hardware in the COVID-19 pandemic, open hardware medical devices, and related topics.

We invite talk proposals from individuals and groups. Find all the details over at the summit site. Submissions are due by Thursday 2021-02-11 at 11 PM EDT.

Announcing the 2021 Open Hardware Summit!

Author : eric Date : November 16, 2020
open hardware summit at home

The 2021 Open Hardware summit will be held online again, Friday April 9, 2021. Just like this year, the summit will be livestreamed, but ticket holders will have access to additional interactive portions of the summit like meet-and-greets, workshops, and sponsor booths.

Find details, including ticket and sponsorship information at 2021.oshwa.org. We look forward to seeing you (in the chat) then!