Developments in Technology: Open Source

Technology has grown and changed drastically within the 21st century. The most interesting development, for me personally, has been the founding and creation of open source designing. Open source design is the development of technologies and innovations without intellectual property retention. This creates a forum of design where innovators can collaborate and co-create without any copyright breaching or ideas being ‘stolen’. The aim of the movement is to facilitate the continued production and total customisation of goods. This is generally done for software; it has however, gradually hardware has been created through open source softwares. The Tesla car and the Arduino are notable examples. Some of Open Source's strengths are its low cost and customisation, and open source platforms aim to increase markets. The significant disadvantage of this is that it is not fully unified. Programs may be incomplete, and hardware may not be well documented, resulting in bugs. However, the great thing about open design is that other users , specific to a project, can come in and fill in the blanks. This is why I think open source is one of the best ways of designing, as the movement is essentially taking designers’ best ideas and procedures therefore essentially producing the best of the best. As, they say, many hands make light work!

In week 5 , we learned about the developments in technology regarding 3D printing. Specifically, open design has made 3D printing more accessible and cost-friendly than it used to be. There are even programmes, such as ‘BUILD A HAND’ that have a website which allow you to collaborate and design prosthetics as long as you have access to a 3D printer.

Graphic: 3D printing timeline via newbusinessblog.org

There are some open source 3D printing companies specifically for prosthetics and orthopedics such as ‘Open Bionic’. They are a UK based, open design robotics company who have developed a prosthetic called The Hero Arm.It is the world's most cost- efficient bionic arm, with multi-grip functionality and adjustable aesthetics now available all over the world for below elbow amputee adults and children. One recipient of a hero arm who is part of their ‘Bionic Squad’ as they call it, is a girl called Tilly Lockey. She was diagnosed with Meningococcal Septicaemia Strain B when she was only 15 months old, forcing doctors to amputate both of her hands above the wrist. She is now not only a recipient of the hero arm but is an ambassador for Open Bionics and works with other medical and media companies. At just 15 years old, Tilly is a true hero and inspiration not only to me but especially for young amputee children. Watch her story here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV_QCVW_yrQ

To think that the developments in technology have gone from the invention of the telephone to now creating limbs for amputees is just mind-boggling. Hopefully, open source design programmes will continue to produce astonishing products that can be used in such influential fields such as medicine. Who knows what could be created within the next 10 years!

Sources: sites.psu.edu, wikiversity, GitHub.com, Arduino, openbionics.com, twitter, youtube.