Why Open Science Hardware (OScH)?

Reviewed by: Brianna Johns & Abdoul Kafid Toko


Hi there,

If you're reading this article, then my guess is you want to know about open science hardware. What exactly is open science hardware? Why is open science hardware important? We will get to it in a minute - but first, let me tell you something about open science if you didn't already know. :)


Open science is an inclusive and collaborative approach to scientific research and its application in society. Scientific research simply put is any inquiry in the fields of natural or applied science for the extension of knowledge. (Law insider)

This is crucial given the barriers imposed by closed knowledge systems and the traditional Intellectual Property (IP) regime. (Gathering for Open Science Hardware) Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind. It can be an invention, a design. Etc. (Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines) There are many types of intellectual property. The best-known types are copyrights, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets.

Open science is basically saying, “let’s open the doors of science and research to anyone who is interested. Let’s not shut our doors and demand an entry fee before we open our doors”. That’s basically it.


So, what is open science hardware, and why?

Hardware is a vital part of the experiment process and advances in instrumentation have been central to scientific revolutions by expanding observations beyond standard human senses. Although scientists are frequently natural tinkerers, the current supply chain for science hardware limits access and impedes creativity and customization. Open science hardware (OScH) addresses part of this problem through sharing open designs, which often take advantage of modern digital fabrication techniques. Expanding the reach of this approach within academic research, citizen science and education has the potential to increase access to experimental tools and ease their customization and reuse while lowering costs. A growing number of people around the world are developing and using open science hardware. Before the conception of the Gathering for Open Science Hardware (GOSH), a coherent, self-organizing community was yet to emerge that could raise its profile and drive the social change within institutions that will increase uptake. GOSH was created to address the need for a community centered around open science hardware. (Gathering for Open Science Hardware (GOSH))







Open science hardware is the culture of sharing open designs and blueprints to facilitate the making, modification, and sharing of hardware for scientific use. Modern scientific laboratories have all kinds of hi-tech scientific instruments (microscopes, diffractometers, oscilloscopes, etc) providing data, high-resolution images, etc to facilitate scientific experimentation. Most of this scientific hardware, other than being expensive to purchase, has the issue of being “black boxed”. This means that they can’t be fully inspected by whoever buys them nor can they be customized. In the case where they break or malfunction, an engineer must be consulted and paid to fix them.


But imagine a world where science hardware can be locally manufactured, or what if you could make your own equipment? That is the principle behind the open science hardware culture and movement. The open science hardware movement seeks to propagate the notion of openness in scientific experimentation and exploration. With the aid of a 3D printer and by sharing design blueprints, science hardware can be made quickly and cheaply while also killing off the system of black box designs. The open science hardware movement is a movement that has been largely appreciated by most developing countries. Open science hardware also permits makers and scientists to customize science equipment to suit their needs. By sharing knowledge, the paradigm is shifted from science being for the individual to being a global property. Open science hardware makes science democratic and inclusive. What does it mean to make science democratic and inclusive? It means that the blueprints and plans, and even explanations, for how to build science tools, and where to purchase materials are all available under an open license on the internet. It encourages other scientists, students, tinkers, makers, technology, and science enthusiasts to get in on the action as they wouldn’t have to pay hundreds of dollars to acquire equipment if they can buy materials, assemble them, and create and make their own to suit their needs.


Open science hardware reduces the need to rely on expensive infrastructure for the scientific journey. Most patented equipment is expensive to purchase. Open science hardware (OScH), through the sharing of design blueprints and manufacturing materials, allows for the opportunity to adopt and recreate less expensive models of these equipment using locally manufactured materials. It reduces the need for proprietary production of science infrastructure and also gives the opportunity for experimentation which might lead to new innovations and scientific discoveries.


One of the many reasons why the open science hardware movement is widely propagated is its ability to promote community and citizen science and the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) culture.


Let's take the case of the evolution of the 3D printer and its impact during the Covid-19 pandemic.





From reducing costs to increasing efficiency to spurring innovation, there is a lot of excitement around the impact that 3D printing has had, and will have on the future of manufacturing. 3D printing was only an idea in the 1980s. Today, 3D printing has become the easiest and cheapest method for manufacturing. When the FDM patent fell to the public domain in 2009, more companies were able to create a variety of 3D printers and the technology became more accessible. In 2014, people were now free to make and create new products on their own, without relying on companies or technology firms.


In March 2020, many scientists, engineers, students, makers, makerspaces, and tinkerers, stepped up in the fight against the covid 19 pandemic. PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) like nose masks and face shields were 3D printed in the fight against the COVID-19 Pandemic. In Tunisia, Taha Grach, an Engineering student helped Tunisia in the fight against Covid-19 - by 3D-printing face masks. The team even came up with a new design so they could cut the processing time down from 90 minutes to just 2 minutes per mask.






Graphene second-year Ph.D. students at Manchester’s Department of Materials(University of Manchester) 3D printed personal protective equipment (PPE) that is proving vital to frontline NHS workers who are treating patients with COVID-19. Most students bought 3D printers online pre-Covid-19 and the timing was right as the need for PPEs rose.





Designs for PPE printing were/are open source. Students, makers, makerspaces, and firms decided to help in the fight against Covid-19 by 3D printing PPEs for schools and NHS workers. Churches, Mosques, etc. only had to download these designs online, modify them to suit their needs, and print fast and cheap PPEs. This is a typical example of how open science hardware promotes community and citizen science and the DIY movement. By sharing these design blueprints, community members and citizens do not have to rely on any centralized manufacturers as they can manufacture their own by themselves.


Open science hardware has the potential to transform education, research & innovation. Sharing results of research projects in peer-reviewed journals enables the scientific and medical community to evaluate the findings themselves. It also provides instructions so that other researchers can repeat the experiment or build on it to verify and confirm the results. When scientists conduct an experiment and analyze the results, the next step is to write up a report that describes the experiment and the results and submit it for publication in a scientific or medical journal that is “peer-reviewed.” (National Multiple Sclerosis Society)


“Peer-reviewed” means that the paper is analyzed by fellow scientists, who evaluate the methods used and identify any potential flaws in logic or methodology that might shed doubt on the findings, while also identifying any other part of the research that can be improved upon, identifying new ways conduct the same experiment, materials and other methods that can improve the results of the research. It also provides instructions so that other researchers can repeat the experiment or build on it to verify and confirm the results.


By sharing results of research projects, you give students, teachers, and professors the chance to study your research results, and repeat any experiments to verify the results or modify the experiments in their own ways, which can lead to new innovations and new scientific discoveries.


Making OScH open transforms the whole concept of innovation. This will make other scientists adopt your designs, and experiments and build on them. This is a new pathway to developing new innovative ideas and equipment as we can create something new out of an already existing one. Building on open designs, research, and experiments can transform innovation completely.


The goal of organizations such as the Gathering for Open Science Hardware (GOSH), Africa Open Science Hardware (AfricaOSH), and Open Source Hardware Association (OSHWA) is to promote the sharing of knowledge. Conferences, Gatherings, Summits, and other interactive and educational events are organized by these organizations with the aim of making open science hardware ubiquitous.


The GOSH Roadmap is a set of concrete actions to make open science hardware ubiquitous by 2025. The ability to use, study, replicate, and improve scientific instrumentation is a central part of experimental science and plays a crucial role in public life, research, and action. However, these activities are currently restricted by proprietary instrumentation, which is difficult and expensive to obtain and maintain, since they cannot be fully inspected, evaluated, or customized. This situation is fundamentally detrimental to the production of knowledge and its potential for creating equitable and sustainable solutions.




The GOSH Roadmap describes what is required for open science hardware to become ubiquitous by 2025, laying out challenges and opportunities and recommending concrete actions. These actions include:


Creating institutional and funding support structures


Preparing guidelines for hardware designers, funders, users, and newcomers on key aspects of OScH development, such as quality control and standards compliance, licensing, documentation standards, and social and ethical aspects of scientific work


Involving the members of the OScH community in the task of elaborating an assessment framework for OScH projects


Using the results of collaborative research to build a common pool of open educational resources


Creating mentorship programs and support networks to increase diversity in the OScH community


This set of actions has an immense potential of promoting open science hardware. The Africa Open Science Hardware (AfricaOSH) follows this roadmap in its quest to promote open science hardware in Africa by making OScH not only known but appreciated and practiced. The GOSH roadmap is a step in the right direction in the quest of knowledge sharing. This set of actions, when achieved, will tremendously impact how science is practiced, in Africa and the rest of the world.


You can read the GOSH Roadmap here.








References:


https://www.nationalmssociety.org/Research/Research-News-Progress/How-and-Why-Do-Scientists-Share-Results


https://issues.org/open-science-hardware-arancio-dosemagen-forum/


https://blog.thomasnet.com/evolution-of-3d-printing


https://physicsworld.com/a/open-science-hardware-in%E2%80%AFthe-developing-world/


https://openhardware.science/about/why-gosh/


https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-52236678


https://www.manchester.ac.uk/coronavirus-response/science-engineering-coronavirus-projects/graphene-students-printing/


https://www.sculpteo.com/blog/2016/12/14/the-history-of-3d-printing-3d-printing-technologies-from-the-80s-to-today/


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property


https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/scientific-research


https://www.ipophil.gov.ph/what-is-intellectual-property/