“Something to talk about” Exploring open source design spaces

Open source projects are dynamic environments where individuals and organizations collaborate to accomplish mutually beneficial design tasks. Open source designers utilize different design spaces, including discussion spaces (where conversation happens) and implementation spaces (where work happens) to complete design tasks. To investigate the relationship between discussion spaces, implementation spaces, and the completion of design tasks in open source projects, this research explores design as it occurs in organizational-communal open source projects under the umbrella of the Linux Foundation and focuses on design processes of three projects – Kubernetes, GRPC, and Zephyr. Design tasks - that include discussion spaces linked to implementation spaces - are successfully completed at a higher rate, than those with no link. This research demonstrates that the discussion space - implementation space relationship plays a key role in open source design processes

Integrated Open Source Design for Architecture in High Density Housing Practice

High-density housing can be interpreted as collections of individual units, which inevitably results in the dilemma between the global standardization designed by architects and local customization implemented by users. However, it is impossible to reflect the users’ various needs in the conceptual design stage for high-density housing because of the economic, industrial and time constrains. In response to this challenge, this research paper outlines a different high-density housing design approach that can adopt users’ individual customization in the conceptual design stage during the housing design practice. Hence, the design process would be an open-ended evolutionary and transparent process rather than deterministic executions as we have now in most high-density cities, such as Hong Kong. In order to overcome the deficiency in addressing future uncertainties of different users and address the issues of one-off developments without iterating users’ feedback in the housing practice, this essay proposes IOSDA (integrated open source design for architecture) for the design practice of high-density housing, through collective data and parametric connectivity between users and architects. IOSDA reflects a different design attitude towards the future, i.e., to shift from architects’ heroic prediction of the future to collective engagement of the present with more robust capacities for new possibilities.published_or_final_versio

An Open Source Design Optimization Toolbox Evaluated on a Soft Finger

In this paper, we introduce a novel open source toolbox for design optimization in Soft Robotics. We consider that design optimization is an important trend in Soft Robotics that is changing the way in which designs will be shared and adopted. We evaluate this toolbox on the example of a cable-driven, sensorized soft finger. For devices like these, that feature both actuation and sensing, the need for multi-objective optimization capabilities naturally arises, because at the very least, a trade-off between these two aspects has to be found. Thus, multi-objective optimization capability is one of the central features of the proposed toolbox. We evaluate the optimization of the soft finger and show that extreme points of the optimization trade-off between sensing and actuation are indeed far apart on actually fabricated devices for the established metrics. Furthermore, we provide an in depth analysis of the sim-to-real behavior of the example, taking into account factors such as the mesh density in the simulation, mechanical parameters and fabrication tolerances

An Open-Source, Automated Chemical Vapor Deposition System for the Production of 2D Materials

While interest in two-dimensional materials has exploded in recent years, the high cost of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) systems can act as a barrier to entry for some researchers interested in studying these materials. This thesis presents an open-source design for an automated CVD that can be built for a fraction of the cost of similarly capable commercial systems and that can easily be customized and expanded.With a CVD built as described,growth of high quality graphene and graphene foam is demonstrated.These results highlight the flexibility of the open-source design in producing a variety of nanomaterials, which are at the forefront of research in emerging semiconductor devices, bionanotechnology, and energy storage and conversion

DASA:an open-source design, analysis and simulation framework for automotive image-based control systems

Image-Based Control (IBC) systems are a class of data-intensive feedback control systems whose feedback is provided by image-based sensing using a camera. IBC has become popular with the advent of efficient image processing systems and low-cost CMOS cameras with high resolution. The combination of the camera and image processing (sensing) gives necessary information on parameters such as relative position, geometry, relative distance, depth perception and tracking of the object-of-interest. This enables the effective use of low-cost camera sensors to enable new functionality or replace expensive sensors in cost-sensitive industries like automotive.The state-of-the-art design, analysis, and simulation of IBC assumes that the sensing algorithm is executing correctly with an assumed or estimated worst-case delay. The sensing algorithm is simulated and validated using static pre-captured image streams and is normally decoupled from the control algorithm. However, in reality, the camera is fixed to the vehicle body and any steering change would affect the region captured by the image. This dynamism cannot be captured in a static image stream and a dynamic image stream that considers the change in vehicle dynamics due to IBC actuation is needed.We present an open-source design, analysis, and simulation framework for automotive IBC systems that can consider the change in vehicle dynamics in real-time and produces real-time dynamic image stream as per the control algorithm. Our framework models the 3D environment in 3ds Max, simulates the vehicle dynamics, camera position, environment and traffic in V-REP and computes the control output in Matlab. Our framework runs Matlab as a server and V-REP as a client in synchronous mode. We show the effectiveness of our framework using a vision-based lateral control system.<br/

Design of two PM Synchronous Machines for EV Traction Using Open-Source Design Instruments

This preliminary paper pre sents a design procedure for Permanent - m agnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) targeting one PM - assisted synchronous reluctance (PMA S y R) motor and one surface mounted PM motor with concentrated windings ( CW - SPM) for EV application . The design process takes advan tage of a combination of design equations, finite element analysis (FEA) and multi - objective optimization. EV application was chosen for its many challenging aspects, including magnetic and multi - physical modelling. T hermal and structural aspects are also included in the study. The preliminary results presented in this short paper are the e fficiency maps and the limits of operation in the torque and speed domain of the two motor designs , and the comparison with selected benchmark designs . Index Terms — Perma nent - magnet motor, Traction motor drives, Automatic design, Finite element analysis , Open - Source

Knowing and Designing: Understanding Information Use in Open Source Design Through the Lens of Information Archetypes

The early phases of the product design process are crucial to the success of design outcomes. While information utilized during idea development has tremendous potential to impact the final design, there is a lack of understanding about the types of information utilized in industry, making it challenging to develop and teach methodologies that support the design of competitive products. As a first step in understanding this process, this study focuses on developing a framework of Information Archetypes utilized by designers in industry. This was accomplished through in-depth analysis of qualitative interviews with large software engineering companies. The results reveal two archetypes of information utilized by decision-makers within these companies during the development of new products and services. The findings of this study allow for future research that investigates the role of information during the product design process

Modeling and Simulation Study of Designer’s Bidirectional Behavior of Task Selection in Open Source Design Process

Open source design (OSD) is an emerging mode of product design. In OSD process, how to select right tasks directly influences the efficiency and quality of task completion, hence impacting the whole evolution process of OSD. In this paper, designer’s bidirectional behavior of task selection integrating passive selection based on website recommendation and autonomous selection is modeled. First, the model of passive selection behavior by website recommendation is proposed with application of collaborative filtering algorithm, based on a three-dimensional matrix including information of design agents, tasks, and skills; second, the model of autonomous selection behavior is described in consideration of factors such as skill and incentive; third, the model of bidirectional selection behavior is described integrating the aforementioned two selection algorithms. At last, contrast simulation analysis of bidirectional selection, passive selection based on website recommendation, and autonomous selection is proposed with ANOVA, and results show that task selection behavior has significant effect on OSD evolution process and that bidirectional selection behavior is more effective to shorten evolution cycle according to the experiment settings. In addition, the simulation study testifies the model of bidirectional selection by describing the task selection process of OSD in microperspective

When open source design is vital: critical making of DIY healthcare equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic

Shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical devices needed during the COVID-19 pandemic were widely reported in early 2020. In response, civic DIY volunteers explored how they could produce the required equipment. Members of communities such as hacker- and makerspaces employed their skills and tools to manufacture, for example, face shields and masks. The article discusses these civic innovation practices and their broader social implications by relating them to critical making theory. Methodologically, it is based on a digital ethnography approach, focusing on hacker and maker communities in the UK. Communities’ DIY initiatives display characteristics of critical making and ‘craftivism’, as they assessed and counteracted politicised healthcare supply shortages. It is argued that their manufacturing activities during the COVID pandemic relate to UK austerity politics’ effects on healthcare and government failure to ensure medical crisis supplies. Facilitated by open source design, communities’ innovation enabled healthcare emergency equipment. At the same time, their DIY manufacturing raises practical as well as ethical issues concerning, among other things, efficacy and safety of use