Six open-source gadget designs that tinkerers can DIY

From a gorpcore navigation instrument to a blender that works with family jars, these six open-source devices let makers construct and customise to their coronary heart’s delight.

2026 is shaping as much as be the yr DIY electronics goes close to mainstream, as dissatisfaction with large expertise corporations and a doomerism-tinged curiosity in self-sufficiency drives extra individuals to experiment with making their very own devices.

This is enabled by the open-source group, which makes software program code, {hardware} documentation and step-by-step meeting directions freely accessible for his or her innovations moderately than commercialising them.

Here are six open-source devices by designers and makers which may encourage others to select up the soldering iron:

---

Terra by Modem and Panter & Tourron

With a customisable 3D-printed shell knowledgeable by fear stones and the gorpcore aesthetic, Terra is a digital “compass” designed to allow individuals to go on walks with out their cellphone in order that they will extra deeply loosen up and discover.

Users make use of AI to create a bespoke route by way of prompts corresponding to “Kyoto architecture tour, back by 4pm” earlier than they go away the home, after which set off with simply the compact, palmable object of their pocket, following its haptic suggestions and refined arrow interface to seek out their route.

Terra was created by design studios Modem and Panter & Tourron and is constructed from eight easy electrical elements together with an ESP32 microcontroller chip. The software program, CAD recordsdata and meeting directions are on GitHub.

Find out extra about Terra ›

---

Air-It-Yourself air air purifier by Jihee Moon

The Air-It-Yourself system makes use of family waste from shoe packing containers to plastic plant pots for components and combines them with a small USB fan and a HEPA filter sheet.

It was designed by Jihee Moon of South Korean design studio Newtab-22, who wished to point out how air purifiers could possibly be made utilizing gadgets that folks have already got at dwelling, bypassing high-cost store-bought merchandise.

The air air purifier is the best construct on this record. Moon says that anybody from youngsters to the aged could make the machine and she or he gives an IKEA-style guide.

Find out extra about Air-It-Yourself ›

---

Polyformer by Reiten Cheng

Polyformer is a 3D-printed machine that permits additional 3D-printing. Specifically, it recycles PET bottles, turning them into filament for additive manufacturing.

California-based industrial designer Reiten Cheng developed Polyformer to make it cheaper and simpler for unbiased makers to create merchandise from repurposed waste supplies as a substitute of counting on virgin plastic.

The machine is constructed from 3D-printed components mixed with a couple of off-the-shelf elements present in conventional 3D printers, and the recordsdata for the construct are all on GitHub.

Find out extra about Polyformer ›

---

Re:Mix blender by Open Funk

German tech firm Open Funk goals to create a brand new strategy to kitchen home equipment by open-sourcing the design, making restore simple and permitting individuals to utilise on a regular basis gadgets they have already got of their cabinets.

The firm makes and sells its Re:Mix blender, which is appropriate with on a regular basis jars, however it additionally makes its documentation accessible in GitHub so that folks can construct their very own – particularly designers from exterior of Europe who the corporate encourages to adapt the product for their very own markets.

As of writing, the recordsdata for the whole physique can be found, with these for the blender head to come back in summer season 2026.

Find out extra about Re:Mix ›

---

Dream Recorder by Modem

Dream Recorder is one other challenge by Netherlands-based studio Modem, which favours open sourcing as a method to democratise entry to applied sciences and provide an alternative choice to corporate-led visions of AI.

Their Dream Recorder is constructed from 14 digital elements together with a Raspberry Pi laptop and LCD Display, and fulfils the function of a contemporary dream journal, permitting customers to document their recollections of the evening’s unconscious wanderings and see them performed again as AI-generated video.

The recordsdata and directions are all on GitHub.

Find out extra about Dream Recorder ›

---

Smart Citizen Kit by Fab Lab Barcelona

Smart Citizen Kits are designed to empower residents with inexpensive instruments to observe environmental information corresponding to city air high quality, noise, temperature and humidity, with customized sensor configurations enabling specialised air and water monitoring.

The kits might be bought from Seeed Studio, however the documentation can be open-sourced in order that customers could make their very own, including customised 3D-printed enclosures and increasing sensors as they need.

The recordsdata are on GitHub.