Open Source Hardware: DIY Multi-Touch Screens

Engadget say that we’re going to see folks creating their own multi-touch tables with DIY kits. One kit called Cubit uses an “inexpensive” video camera, a projector and a few other bits and pieces.

Technology Review says that this is part of an emerging trend of Open Source Hardware:

Projects like these illustrate two important trends in technology, says Tim O’Reilly, founder of O’Reilly Media, the publishing company whose Make and Craft magazines put on the Maker Faire. First, the falling cost of hardware enables people to play with high technology without taking a large financial risk. Second, people are forming online communities, such as Instructables.com and wikiHow.com, to share their ideas, solve problems, and start collaborative projects.

Traditionally, O’Reilly says, the open-source community has focused on software, but in recent years, there’s been a push to share more information about hardware.

Open Source Hardware