The next few years are going to see huge leaps forward in the technical development of electric motorcycles as well as their adoption by a mass market. Open Moto X wants to help this development. We can do this in three ways:
- funding research and development into the technology and design of electric motorbikes
- doing our bit to make electric motorbikes safe, useful and economic for everybody
- helping to make electric bikes cool, classy, beautifully designed, sexy objects of desire
We think that the best way to do achieve these aims is to be open. Radically open. We understand that this might mean we inadvertently help our closest competitors. It might mean we never even get to the starting line. But being open about what we learn, what we know, what we understand about electric motorcycles is how we make a difference. If you don't like the idea of being radically open you should consider starting your own project, feel free to take what you need from Open Moto X, paint it a different colour, give it a new name and try to go faster. Maybe we'll see you on the winners podium.
Open engineering and open design[]
The engineering challenge is to be open in everything we do and at the same time successful on the track. These two things might prove incompatible, nobody has really tried it before in competitive sports except for an Israeli football team who allow their competitors, as well as their fans, to select their team. Open Moto X is radically open first and obsessed with winning at all costs second. This is how we want to work. It is important that you want to work in this way too. We are committed to being radically open for ever. You don't have to sign up to radical openness for life - but while you are involved with Open Moto X you should understand that we are going to be open. This is just as true of of our (and your) successes as well as failures. If you are worried that being radically open might damage your reputation for design and engineering brilliance then this probably isn't the best place for you.
If you have an idea that you think might be patentable - patent it first and then tell us about it. We might even buy a licence to use it from you. But please get that patent before you start telling us about it.
If you have a wicked crazy design for a bike, or even a bit of a bike then we would love to see it. But please register it as a design first, establish your moral right to be recognized as the creator of the design and then show it to us. We might even pay you for it when we have some money. If you don't want us to use it for free or don't want us to talk about it then please don't send it to us without protecting yourself.
N.B: If you have some top secret electric motorcycle engineering invention that you want to sell to Open Moto X - but don't want the world to know about it then you should probably find a different team to sell it to. We don't do NDAs.
Open Money[]
There will probably be some concerns from sponsors when they realise that the financial details of their engagement with Open Moto X will be made totally public - but we are radically open first and obsessed with money second. However, realistically, some negotiations, emails and telephone calls will probably have to be made "off the record". The important thing is to be clear about how open we are from the get-go and make everything open as soon as possible.
Open People[]
One big advantage of joining a radically open project like OMX is that you can make important contributions without asking anyone's permission, without having a stressful interview and even without having the right qualifications. Your contribution, particularly what you add to this wiki, is kept on the record. Potential employers can see what you have done. Increasingly employers value people that can work in teams, who show initiative and who want to do things rather than spectate. Feel free to include your involvement with OMX on your resume/Curriculm Vitae. If you ask nicely we will even write a glowing (and totally honest) reference for you.
If you still want to get involved (and we hope you haven't been scared off); we hope that you will learn a lot more from being part of the OMX community than you would by helping any of our competitors. If you want to be credited for your contribution then it is important that you are open about who you are and what your real name is. It would be a shame if you helped us win the TTXGP constructors championship in 2011, but can't add it to your curriculum vitae because all your work was done under the name of "Fake Casey Stoner", "I ♥♥♥ Valentino Rossi" or even "Anonymous Coward".
Open communications[]
All communications about the project are going to be open. Normally we won't enter into secret negotiations or even sign NDAs - remember we much prefer to be open than we prefer to win. If that means you keep your great, crazy, race winning ideas to yourself then that is clearly our loss. Unless your information has to be kept secret by law or because of issues of great importance to national security you should expect it to be published either here on the wiki or on the Open Moto X blog... or both.
We prefer it if you use your real name but we also understand that being radically open can be abit scary too. So feel free to use an alias - just don't expect us to believe that you are really were Barry Sheen's chief engineer "back-in-the-day".
See also: Open Hardware links[]
- Wikipedia article on open source hardware
- Makezine's 2009 list of open hardware projects
- Wired Magazine Open manufacturing
- Free Software Foundation Hardware/endorsement criteria
License[]
Information on the wiki is published under the CC-BY-SA license. This might not be appropriate for hardware designs or physical products. Add your ideas on the most appropriate license for Open Moto X on the Talk:Hardware license