The successes of open-source software raise the question of whether technological hardware that has been developed based on an open and collaborative mode of innovation can achieve similar levels of diffusion. While some expect such open-source hardware (OSH) to lead to transformational changes in the ways technologies are produced, the available empirical evidence suggests that, to date, the diffusion of most OSH applications has been modest. In this paper, we focus on the limited uptake of OSH and study factors that help explain its adoption by users who replicate available open-source designs. Given our limited understanding of this topic, we present an in-depth study of small wind turbines based on open designs. Through a systematic review of the case-specific literature, we identify and analyse 60 documents, including case studies, construction manuals, market analyses, and technical assessments. We find that the adoption of available open-source wind turbine designs by technology users depends on a number of factors that are currently underemphasized in discussions on the potential of OSH. This includes the quality of OSH self-manufactured products, the particular motivations of adopters to engage with OSH, the availability of adequate production inputs for local manufacturing, and the resources available through open-source communities.

开源软件的成功提出了一个问题，即基于开放式和协作式创新模式开发的技术硬件是否可以达到类似的扩散水平。尽管有些人希望这种开源硬件（OSH）会导致技术生产方式的变革，但现有的经验证据表明，迄今为止，大多数OSH应用程序的普及程度仍然很小。在本文中，我们关注于OSH的有限吸收和研究因素，这些因素有助于解释复制可用开源设计的用户所采用的OSH。鉴于我们对该主题的了解有限，我们对基于开放式设计的小型风力涡轮机进行了深入研究。通过对案例相关文献的系统回顾，我们确定并分析了60份文档，包括案例研究，施工手册，市场分析和技术评估。我们发现技术用户采用可用的开放源代码的风力涡轮机设计取决于当前在OSH潜力讨论中未充分强调的许多因素。这包括OSH自制产品的质量，采用者与OSH互动的特殊动机，为本地制造提供足够的生产投入以及通过开源社区可获得的资源。