The articles in this issue look at how the development and use of free and open source hardware (FOSH or simply “open hardware”) are changing the face of science, engineering, business, and law.

Free and open source software (FOSS) has proven very successful and now dominates the ...

Hardware is considered anything made of atoms instead of bits. Open source hardware (OSHW) is hardware of any type (e.g., electronics, mechanical parts, even clothing) whose source files are publicly available for anyone to use, remanufacture, redesign, and resell provided that the hardware remains ...

Many companies obsess over patent monopolies. Established technology firms spend millions on infringement litigation, crushing would-be competitors before they can get traction. And startups generally begin spending money on patent attorneys before they even earn revenue.

But free software ...

How will three-dimensional (3D) printing technology (also known as additive manufacturing) challenge presumptions in intellectual property law? The technology democratizes design, distribution, and manufacturing such that these activities are accessible to even moderately skilled -individuals.

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There is an opportunity to radically reduce the costs of experimental research while improving it by supporting the development of free and open source hardware (FOSH) for science and engineering. By harnessing a scalable open source method, federal funding is spent just once for the development of ...

With calls for increased preK–12 education in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) (NAE/NRC 2009) and discussions of the need for more hands-on and design experiences in college-level engineering curriculum (Prince 2004), the growth of the maker movement offers promise and ...

3D printing has the potential to produce many needed items in low-resource settings, where lack of infrastructure and weak manufacturing capacity make local production impractical, and high tariffs, unreliable supply chains, and economic instability make importation costly. With lower costs and ...

I was born in 1980, which means I am a member of the last generation that can remember a time before the Internet was a ubiquitous part of life in America. I recall my first computer fondly, the IBM XT, and typing in BASIC programs that my father photocopied for me, but what really stuck with me ...

RON LATANISION (RML): Masi, you are the first actor who has spoken with us, and we’re delighted. I’m curious about how you got into acting, given that Brown University is your alma mater and you have a degree in computer science and mathematics. Is that correct?

Photo of Masi Oka