🧰
Share space & equipment
Workbenches, tools, test gear, meeting rooms — turn idle resources into research capacity for others.
🧪
Research & test
Reproduce open projects, run comparative and reliability tests, validate grasping and motion; feed results back.
🤝
Build a platform
Meetups, workshops and study groups so engineers in the same city can meet, discuss and collaborate.
🌍
Connect globally
Nodes share projects, methods and results, forming a network that supports each other.
Why local labswhat online cannot do
Hardware research needs reality
- Robot limits, collisions and grasping must be validated on real hardware;
- Sensors, cameras, printers and old boxes only prove themselves when powered and wired;
- Testing needs stable space, power, tools and safety boundaries.
Exchange is not only on screen
- Teardown, tuning and reproduction together beats ten documents;
- Beginners need one guided session to know where to start;
- Engineers across cities need a nearby place to land.
Our goal: local labs worldwide.
Wherever you are, there is a nearby place to research hardware, run tests and meet people.
This is not a centralised institution but a network of nodes: each lab keeps its own character while sharing OpenHW Lab projects, methods and open results.
Wherever you are, there is a nearby place to research hardware, run tests and meet people.
This is not a centralised institution but a network of nodes: each lab keeps its own character while sharing OpenHW Lab projects, methods and open results.
What a node doesday-to-day of a local lab
🏠
Open the space
Provide workbenches, tools, network and basic safety; open by appointment or on fixed open days.
🔬
Run research & tests
Reproduce OpenHW Lab robot/hardware projects, record conditions and results, feed issues and methods back.
🎓
Host events
Workshops, teardown nights, study groups and contests; turn experience into docs others can learn from.
📢
Connect locally
Act as the local contact between schools, makerspaces, companies and other nodes; enable joint tests.
Name · Plaque · Benefitswhat you get after joining
🏷️
Full lab name
Your brand + Intelligent Hardware Open Lab. The prefix is your company, institution or team name; the lab is fully self-managed — operations, people and space stay under your control.
🪧
Plaque & certification
OpenHW Lab provides a plaque and certification, officially bringing your lab into the Intelligent Hardware Open Lab network — recognisable and verifiable.
🦾
Products & testing
Network members can receive products such as Zuxin robots for testing, research and teaching — real hardware, not just documents.
📖
Open source & credit
Technology you develop can be open-sourced with attribution on this site; parts that cannot be opened (trade secrets, etc.) are not mandatory — you decide.
Networked operation: each lab keeps its own name, space and management while sharing projects, test methods, equipment and results. One lab is limited; together we are stronger — faster progress and more people able to join hardware research nearby.
How to joinfrom application to listing
- Fill in the application: tell us city / space or equipment / area you want to contribute (or email us directly).
- One conversation: confirm conditions, safety boundaries, opening style and expectations. No hard gate.
- Join the network: get listed on OpenHW Lab, receive project material, test methods and a node identity.
- Run activities: organise research, testing or exchange; feed results back under open licenses.
- Keep collaborating: share experience, run joint tests and support other nodes.
You do not need everything on day one. A table, one device and an open weekend is enough to start.
Who can joinany identity, any scale
👤
Individuals / hobbyists
Have a bench, tools or a specific device and are willing to open on fixed hours to build with others.
🛠️
Makerspaces / studios
Already have space and equipment; want open projects, test methods and a cross-city network.
🎓
Universities / labs
Courses, research or student clubs need real projects and test scenarios; willing to share some resources.
🏢
Companies / institutions
Provide equipment, space, test environments or joint research; bring real-world problems too.
What we offerwhat a node gets
Code, structures, tutorials, test methods and data for robot and hardware projects.
Limit, grasping and reliability procedures and record formats, ready to reuse.
Show your lab and contact on this site to connect local needs.
Cross-node workshops, study groups, test relays and project collaboration.
Direct contact with maintainers and other nodes; you do not carry issues alone.
Your test results and improvements enter the open material and help more people.
Channel & partnership
Priority access to partner vendors' trial products and demo units for testing, content and solution validation.
Apply for authorised reseller status with qualification, supply and technical support.
Joint launches, experience events and content marketing with shared brand and traffic.
Invitation to the annual conference and gala to meet vendors, resellers and local labs.
Channel and project collaboration between nodes, vendors and resellers — mutual referrals and joint delivery.
FAQ
Do I need to be a “lab” to join?
No. A personal bench, a makerspace, a school club or a company open day all work. The key is usable space/equipment and willingness to open up.
Does it cost anything?
Joining the network is free. Nodes may charge for their own events, but OpenHW Lab projects and material stay open and free.
What obligations are there?
Follow safety rules, record test conditions and results honestly, and feed publishable results back. Collaboration details are agreed together.
Can I join without a robot?
Yes. Much hardware research — embedded, print servers, NAS, surveillance — needs no arm; you can also start as a testing and exchange node.
How do I start?
Fill in the application, or email [email protected] with your city, space/equipment and area of interest.