Building the Future of Open-Source Hardware
Devroom Managers
- Balu
- Amit
- Kailash
- Harish
We are the core members of Absurd Industries, a passionate open hardware community dedicated to getting more people to build things. Since 2023, we’ve been holding monthly meetups, bringing together makers from all walks of life. Our meetups aren’t just about theory—they’re about making. We’ve hosted hands-on workshops on building macropads, ePaper wrist watches, lightsabers, taught the fundamentals of Arduino and other microcontrollers, and even dedicated an entire session to the humble screw (because every great project needs solid fasteners!). At our core, we believe in lowering the barrier to DIY.
Proof of Feasibility
We believe the Open Hardware Devroom will easily sustain a 3-hour session because:
Our community isn’t just large—it’s active, engaged, and filled with makers, tinkerers, and innovators. Given how vibrant and hands-on our members are, we are confident that a call for proposals (CFP) within our community will generate a strong response with high-quality submissions. We’ll do personal reach-outs to members of the community who are working on interesting projects to present their work.
We’ve already seen this in action. The first-ever Open Hardware team meetup, a collaboration between Absurd Industries and FOSS United Bangalore, proved that our community is eager to participate. Once we put out a CFP within our circles, the majority of submissions came directly from our members, and even the final selection was community-driven—ensuring that the talks reflected the interests and expertise of the participants.
Short Introduction & Motivation
Open-source hardware is a vital but often underrepresented part of the FOSS ecosystem. While open software has seen widespread adoption, open hardware faces unique challenges, including accessibility, manufacturing constraints, and licensing concerns.
The Open Hardware Devroom aims to bring together developers, makers, and researchers working in open-source electronics, embedded systems, and DIY hardware. Through this space, we hope to:
- Showcase real-world open hardware projects and their impact on industries like IoT, automation, and education.
- Discuss the challenges of hardware openness, from licensing to supply chain difficulties.
- Facilitate knowledge-sharing on tools, workflows, and best practices for designing and manufacturing open hardware.
- Strengthen the Indian open hardware community, providing a platform for collaboration and networking.
Number of Volunteers Requested
- Proposal Reviewers: members from within our community + 1 member from FOSS United.
- Logistics Volunteers: 2 volunteers to assist with managing the devroom on the day of the event.
- Devroom Managers (Balu, Amit, Kailash and Harish) will also help with reviews and logistics.
Call for Proposals (CFP)
Scope of Talks
We invite proposals that focus on open-source hardware development, community-driven innovation, and real-world applications. Suggested topics include (but are not limited to):
- DIY and Maker Projects: Personal and community-driven open hardware initiatives. (e.g. T1E: ePaper Watch)
- Open-Source PCB Design & Tools: KiCad, EasyEDA, LibrePCB, and related workflows. (e.g. Cory Dora: Open Source Macropad)
- Hardware Security & Trust: Ensuring transparency and security in open hardware.
- Open-Source Silicon & FPGAs: RISC-V, open ASICs, and FPGA toolchains. (e.g. Open-Source Chips)
- Challenges in Open Hardware Adoption: Manufacturing, and ecosystem barriers. (e.g. Building Open Hardware with FOSS)
- Community-Driven Hardware Development: Collaborative models for hardware innovation. (e.g. Building an Open-Source Supersaber)
We welcome both technical talks and practical workshops, with preferred durations of:
- 10+5 min (Lightning Talks)
- 20+5 min (Standard Sessions)
- 30+5 min ( Fireside chat)