Open hardware or open source hardware (sometimes also free hardware) are primarily electronic, inexpensive and universally usable hardware components that are manufactured according to free construction plans. The movement and idea are close to the Free Software, Open Source and DIY movement, respectively go back to them. Open Hardware components are mostly offered via internet sites. Open Hardware offers a simple, fast and cost-effective way to build prototypes (with a focus on sensors and actuators) of electronically or digitally driven ideas. The best known platforms are probably ARDUINO and RASPBERRY PI.
These were actually once designed for the do-it-yourself community, but now more and more (large) companies are also using this technology as a way to create early and efficient prototypes of ideas and gain insights from them.
Advantages of open hardware platforms include the fact that a wide range of devices are compatible and that it is relatively easy to build and test systems quickly, even with little knowledge of programming languages. Since standard components can be used, which are connected via plug-in connections, the calculation of resistors and circuits and the soldering of circuit boards are no longer necessary.
