How can a complex topic such as open-source hardware be presented in a way that generates concrete ideas for business practice? This is precisely where the simulation game developed by the OSHOP Transfer Centre comes in. It makes open-source hardware tangible, brings together different perspectives and helps companies to systematically discover their own potential applications.

Open-source hardware offers companies a wide range of opportunities: development expertise can be shared, products can be further developed collaboratively, and new models for innovation and business can be explored. At the same time, this open approach raises many questions, particularly for companies that have had little previous experience with it. What does ‘open’ mean for their own product? What knowledge can be shared? What role do communities play? And at which stages of the product lifecycle can open-source hardware actually add value?

This is precisely where the ‘How To: Open Source Hardware’ workshop series, developed by the OSHOP – Open Source Hardware Innovation Platform, comes in. The aim is not only to provide companies with basic knowledge, but also to jointly develop a specific open-source hardware use case and explore its potential for their own practical applications.

Tackling complex questions in a playful way

A central element of the workshop series is a specially developed simulation game. Participants examine their use case throughout the entire product lifecycle, deliberately shifting their perspective as they go. With the help of various question and prompt cards, technical, economic and organisational aspects are discussed together.

This involves, for example, collaboration with communities, the use of existing innovation knowledge, or the question of what new opportunities for value creation can arise from an open development approach. The game-based structure makes it easier to get to grips with a topic that often seems abstract at first, whilst at the same time creating space for discussion, a change of perspective and new ideas.

Initial trials show that this approach can break down barriers and support a structured engagement with open-source hardware. The Dresden-based start-up allpacka has already tested the workshop series and used the simulation game to systematically explore potential open-source hardware approaches.

A transfer tool with potential beyond open-source hardware

What makes the simulation game special is that its methodological approach is not exclusively limited to open-source hardware. It serves as an example of how complex research, technology and knowledge transfer topics can be presented in such a way that different target groups can engage more easily, and abstract questions can be translated into concrete use cases.

The simulation is therefore not only a tool for teaching about open-source hardware, but also a transferable approach that can, in the future, be applied to other complex subject areas.

In the true spirit of open source, the simulation itself is to be made openly accessible, shared and further developed. In this way, a tool for teaching about open-source hardware also becomes a practical example of how open knowledge and technology transfer can work.

Try it out for yourself at the 3rd OSHOP Conference

Anyone wishing to discover and try out the simulation game for themselves will soon have the opportunity to do so: on 23 and 24 September 2026, the open-source hardware community will gather for the 3rd OSHOP Conference in Halle (Saale).

As part of the conference, the simulation game will be put into practice in a workshop involving the participants. This will allow participants to explore different perspectives on open-source hardware and tackle specific questions in a playful way. In this way, they can experience first-hand how new ideas and potential use cases emerge from what were initially abstract considerations.

In addition to the simulation game, the conference offers numerous other talks, workshops and discussion sessions centred on open-source hardware, and brings together researchers, companies, makers, open workshops and other interested parties to engage in dialogue.

Registration for the 3rd OSHOP Conference is available via the following link:

Register for the 3rd OSHOP Conference on 23–24 September 2026

No time for the conference? OSHOP also comes in a smaller format

If you can’t make it to the conference in September, you still don’t have to miss out on the exchange of ideas and the simulation game. We’re keen to make open-source hardware accessible in alow-threshold way, outside traditional event formats.

That’s why we’re planning an OSHOP get-together outside the HTWD – perhaps in a café or restaurant – as well as a games evening where participants can try out the simulation game in a relaxed atmosphere. After all, good ideas for open-source hardware don’t necessarily have to be born in a lecture theatre.

Anyone interested in this sort of event is welcome to get in touch with us. We look forward to welcoming fellow players, curious minds and anyone who’d like to get to know open-source hardware in a completely informal setting.

Funding and further information

The simulation game was developed as part of the OSHOP – Open Source Hardware Innovation Platform. OSHOP is funded by theFederal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) as part of the ‘T!Raum – TransferRäume für die Zukunft von Regionen’ funding initiative. The aim of the initiative is to develop new approaches to the transfer of knowledge, ideas and technology between science, industry and society, and to embed these sustainably within the regions.

A recent article on the BMFTR’s ‘Innovation & Structural Change’ platform provides an in-depth insight into the development, practical testing and potential applications of the simulation game:

Read the BMFTR article “Simulation Game Opens Doors to Open-Source Hardware”