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By Hans Rempel
What is open source hardware? Why is becoming popular? How did we get here? How does it relate to open source software? What are the advantages? What does it mean for hardware companies? How can hardware companies still add value? And... some examples.
We've been working with different open hardware platforms for the last 10 years and we're just stoked to see the trend of hardware commoditization motivating companies to differentiate on adding value vs. protecting past accomplishments. Open source hardware shifts the focus of product development to the applications the hardware enables. It is a trend that is feeding innovation and allowing software developers to quickly create powerful applications that include hardware as part of larger systems.
Hans' background is in electrical engineering but somewhere fell off the wagon and began writing software and managing different aspects of business operations. He has been developing embedded systems since the mid 90's and created some of the first open hardware System on Module designs in the early 00's. Over the years, as the discussion has moved from hardware peripherals to operating systems to connectivity, he has shifted focus in step and founded Exosite (www.exosite.com) in 2009 to provide connectivity to devices and systems.
His passion is discovering patterns that span industries, and then creating generic technology products that can be extended as whole products for select verticals. He gets excited about creating value in business along side of people who love what they do, and who do it with integrity.