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Marcin's application for a talk:

We know that open source hardware is challenging to develop - and starting an enterprise an open source hardware product is even harder. It takes not only tremendous effort - but also innovative business models. We are developing ways to make open source hardware startups easier - by leveraging large-scale, open collaboration. To this end, we will be doing an experiment - by gathering over 1000 carefully pre-selected participants, to develop an open source product - in just one weekend. We call this an Extreme Enterprise event. Wait a minute - is this crazy? How to find, motivate, and coordinate such a large number of people in such a short time? That's exactly what we are figuring out, with an open source, swarm-based, agile, modular process that can get quality results in a short time. We will apply our techniques to design, prototype, and productize a modular, affordable, ecological, 750 square foot house - that can be built by 2 people in one week - for US$50,000. Join this 1 hour presentation to find out more about how we plan to execute this Extreme Enterprise event - to make life easier for millions of people by making affordable ecological housing widely accessible.

Playlist

• YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC02rOPpBb1EwVu25ib9L0NA
• Apparently all talks are recorded - [1]
• Community Action Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hvtuc8yEbbQ&list=PLLgC0nB1k-MMVP9Exfbp_AA94P3LhNowe&index=3
• COVID playlist - [2]. Session - nation-wide PPE efforts - [3]

Discussion Thread and Registration

• https://fabxmembers.fabevent.org/posts/7418826?notification_id=818644274&utm_campaign=notification_space_post_mention_recent&utm_medium=email&utm_source=transactional_emails

Marcin's Presentation

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1. Hi, my name is Marcin - and I am presenting on the latest updates on Open Source Ecology - and our experience with large scale collaboration for developing open source hardware.
2. We design and build open source industrial machines, and publish the plans on the internet for free. https://www.opensourceecology.org/ We are working on all the critical machines that are used to build infrastructures and produce things, so that a civilization with modern comforts could be built. It is everything from a tractor, to a bread oven, to a circuit maker.
3. You can see my TED Talk from 2011, just google Global Village Construction Set TED Talk https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/TED_Talk
4. In particular - I will focus on the last missing frontier of open source hardware - that is the business model for scaling it.
5. So first some definitions of open hardware - 4 freedoms.
6. We develop our work according to the 4 freedoms.
7. We build things, but more importantly, develop collaborative ways of building things.
8. This means Extreme Builds: swarm-based builds where we can build machines in a single day.
9. Or houses in 5 days.
10. Since then, we have completed about ⅓ of the set, with hundreds of prototypes around the world. https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/GVCS_State_of_Completion
11. Our main milestones are: 1. replication
12. 2. Module-based design - reducing prototyping times from weeks to days. Ironworker - from 6 months of a build - to 2 days.
13. 3. Extreme Manufacturing - swarm builds, like the house.
14. 4. Realtime Documentation -

Modular Machine Building

From Fab Academy Recitation:

1. We build in a modular way. This picture shows the Universal axis module - a universal CNC axis - https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Universal_CNC_Axis - with 10 micron step resolution - that is a building block of any CNC system. For example, the 3D printers above, D3D Pro - https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/D3D_Pro - and D3D Universal - are built from this axis.
2. This axis can be lengthened - to make a 6’ tall 3d printer
3. Or a 1 cubic meter 3D printer.
4. But it can also be enlarged, to larger rod side - such as starting from the original 8 mm axis and going to 25 mm -https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10211318198887887&set=gm.690934881099091&type=3&theater
5. to make this CNC torch table - https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/CNC_Torch_Table_v19.10. So here
6. Even up to much lareger Universal Axes with large rods - 2” or 50 mm -
7. - so you can build a heavy duty CNC machine. https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/2%22_Universal_Axis
8. What you can see here is an emergence of a modular product ecology. We started with 3D printers, we 3D printed parts for the larger Universal axis, and ended up with the CNC Torch Table. Now the CNC torch table cuts flat sheets of steel, so we can make things like our tractor - https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Trencher
9. Or compressed earth brick press - https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/CEB_Press
10. So we can build a house with industrial efficiency - 5 days with a team of 50 people. https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Seed_Eco-Home
11. Or an aquaponic greenhouse. https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Aquaponic_Greenhouse
12. We build all of this in our Open Source Microfactory. For example, this was a build of the brick press for building houses. So let’s taka a look at the basic product ecology.
13. We build all of this in our open source microfactory. For example, this was a build of the brick press for building houses. So let’s taka a look at the basic product ecology. 3D printers make torch tables make brick presses and tractors. https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Product_Ecologies
14. But then how do you close the loop to move into an ecological, Circular Economy?
15. So here we add the next level of complexity, where we shred used tractors, cars, and other objects, and then we extract metal, which we can melt in an Induction Furnace, then roll into virgin steel, and CNC machine into products such as more tractor bodies, hydraulic motors, and engines. For the plastic, we can recycle that through the plastic extruder, to make 3D printing filament, and then start 3D printing plastic parts, car tires, and rubber tracks for more tractors.
16. We have covered metals and plastic, but we still need to cover rocks, plants, soil, and water, and there we have almost all of civilization’s infrastructure. You can turn soil into building blocks with the compressed earth block press, you can make cement blocks by burning limestone in a lime burner, you can turn straw into fuel pelltets and insulation, and you can turn trees to lumber, and if you want to go further, take trees and turn them to bioplastic and 3D printed glazing. https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Materials_Production_Facility
17. What you see here is a bunch of product ecologies where machines make other machines, and then recycle themselves to keep the loop going. Now instead of melting things down, it takes less energy to reuse things. That’s why we focus on modular design. In our system, we use modular structural tubing and interchangeable parts such as the Universal Rotor. . https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Universal_Rotor, which can be thought of as a heavy duty version of the Universal Axis for motion.
18. We also use interchangeable power units, so we that we can run a tractor on one-10 of them. So far we only did 3. https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Power_Cube
19. So if you look at the tractor, you see the modular frames, 3 power cubes that can be used elsewhere, and Universal Rotors - circled - where in one case it can function as a wheel drive and in the other it drives the trencher.
20. It’s also worth noting that the one of the same power cubes - can be used in our microtractor. https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/MicroTrac_v17.10
21. We use a construction set throughout. We have the tractor construction set, CNC machine construction set, and power electronics construction set - not only mechanical items lend themselves to this - it’s a universal approach. https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Construction_Sets
22. What is the limit? Well, if you have precision CNC, and precision grinders, you can go down to micron machining resolution. You need flat granite for your frames - see https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Dan_Gelbart. With 1 micron resolution, you get to air bearings, and super-precision equipment used in positioning and in vaccuum chambers - so you can make semiconductors and microchips from dirt and twigs under your feet. But, simpler than this - you go from induction furnace, to precision grind - to make Ball Bearings.
23. For us, we envision a 40 acre facility, our site, where we have a microfactory that can make solar panels from sand (silicon), and go all the way up to Extraction of Aluminum from Clay. So that clay is used for our CEB block, for clay 3D printing and ceramics, and for aluminum.