Open Source Hardware On The High Street

The open source hardware movement continues to grow at a rapid pace but could it ever give birth to mass market products that are seen on the high street?

At present open source hardware feels to be at a similar stage in its development as open source software was around the late 1990s. With many passionate advocates and undeniably impressive projects, an ever expanding ecosystem and a relatively small but respectable marketplace.

The tipping point with open source software was brought about by Linux, which offered significant cost savings and other major benefits, supporting a substantial marketplace for services and serving to clearly demonstrate the opportunity at hand.

Arduino is the poster child of the open source hardware movement and although it is gaining popularity the marketplace is still relatively small, and the opportunities it creates are not of the same scale as those that Linux created. However, there have been other developments that may not have gone on to huge commercial success but which together hint at future possibilities...