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. 2018 Sep 27;16(9):e3000014.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000014. eCollection 2018 Sep.

Haves and have nots must find a better way: The case for open scientific hardware

André Maia Chagas  1   2   3   4   5
Affiliations

Haves and have nots must find a better way: The case for open scientific hardware

André Maia Chagas. PLoS Biol. .

Abstract

Many efforts are making science more open and accessible; they are mostly concentrated on issues that appear before and after experiments are performed: open access journals, open databases, and many other tools to increase reproducibility of science and access to information. However, these initiatives do not promote access to scientific equipment necessary for experiments. Mostly due to monetary constraints, equipment availability has always been uneven around the globe, affecting predominantly low-income countries and institutions. Here, a case is made for the use of free open source hardware in research and education, including countries and institutions where funds were never the biggest problem.

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Conflict of interest statement

I have read the journal’s policy and the author of this manuscript has the following competing interests: Editor of the Open Source Toolkit Channel for PLOS.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Open source hardware for research and education.
A. Time-sorting pitfall trap and temperature logger [32]. B. “Smart” tube holder for real-time sample monitoring [33]. C. Pipetting robot for toxicological assays [34]. D. Low-cost multifluorescense system [35].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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