Public Invention

What Public Invention does

Public Invention is a US 501(c)(3) public charity, registered in November 2019 and founded by Robert L. Read, that develops open-source hardware and software for humanitarian applications. Its portfolio spans respiratory support devices (the PolyVent Educational Platform modular ventilator, VentMon inline ventilator tester, GPAD and Krake alarm systems, ADaM alarm-management software), oxygen generation (the NASA-MCOG microcontroller control system for ceramic oxygen generation deployed with KidsOR and NASA), neonatal care (an ML-based Fetal Health Risk Detection model on CTG data), and adjacent humanitarian products (EcoPot efficient cooking vessel, Biochar Toilet, Moonrat portable incubator, Geotagtext emergency mapping, Botanical Sensor). Underlying technology includes microcontroller-based finite state machines, hardware abstraction layers, open respiration data and control standards (PIRDS, PIRCS), and novel passive devices such as the ferrofluid check valve. All work is released under share-alike public licenses.

Name

Public Invention

Legal name

Public Invention

Website

https://pubinv.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Public Invention is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit that develops free, open-source hardware and software for humanitarian applications, including open-source ventilators, oxygen generators, alarm systems, and related life-critical medical devices, distributed via GitHub and direct channels to a global volunteer community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Open-Source Medical Devices

NAICS

Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510), Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841), Electromedical & Electrotherapeutic Apparatus (3845)

akta.pro primary industry

Ventilators & Mechanical Ventilation Systems (ICU/Transport/Home) (HLAHAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

At-Home Medical Alert Sensors & Smart Home Safety Integrations (HSAHAHAJ), Safety, Security & Emergency Supplies/Equipment (First Aid, AEDs, PPE, Lockdown Kits) (EDAEAIAL)

Keywords

• Open-source medical devices
• Humanitarian engineering
• Ventilator hardware
• Oxygen generation systems
• Medical device standards

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Public Invention is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity. Revenue comes primarily from donations and grants. Donations support essential activities including travel to research conferences, journal submission fees, materials for project teams, and technology needed to bring inventions to life. RecognizedGood awarded $1000 as a Lighthouse recipient.
2. Product Sales (PolyVent Educational Platform, GPAD): The PolyVent Educational Platform is sold as a product. The GPAD (General Purpose Alarm Device) is available for purchase. VentMon is available for a suggested donation of USD $500 for research and humanitarian use.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Public Invention develops and distributes open-source hardware and software for humanitarian medical and engineering applications, with its core offerings being the VentMon inline ventilator tester/monitor, the PolyVent Educational Platform modular ventilator, and the GPAD programmable alarm device. All designs are released free under share-alike public licenses through GitHub and its own online shop, supporting ventilator verification, oxygen generation, alarm management, neonatal care, sanitation, and efficient cooking in low-resource settings.

Product overview

Public Invention is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization advancing open-source engineering with a portfolio of humanitarian-focused inventions. The product ecosystem centers on open-source medical devices for respiratory support, including the VentMon inline ventilator monitor/tester, the PolyVent Educational Platform (an open modular ventilator), the GPAD alarm device, the wireless Krake alarm system, and the ADaM alarm management software. Supporting products include the NASA-MCOG control system for ceramic oxygen generation, the KidsOR Oxygen Generator for low-resource settings, GOSQAS quality assurance tracking, and various humanitarian projects such as the Moonrat portable incubator, EcoPot efficient cooking vessel, Biochar Toilet, Botanical Sensor, Geotagtext mapping tool, NanoCap Table equity tracker, Ferrofluid Check Valve, OSH Registry hardware library, Sunlight Regulatory Device License, and the Freespireco respiratory ecosystem initiative. All work is released under share-alike public licenses and free for public use.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VentMon An open-source inline ventilator tester and monitor that plugs into the airway of a breathing circuit to measure parameters of an operating ventilator, sold at a suggested donation of USD $500 per unit (in batches of 15) to qualifying teams building free-libre open-source devices under MOU. Originally distributed free of charge during COVID-19.
• PolyVent Educational Platform An open-source, modular mechanical ventilator platform sold as a complete product through the Public Invention shop for classroom, training, and research use, particularly in educational institutions and low- and middle-income countries.
• GPAD (General Purpose Alarm Device) A programmable open-source alarm panel/device for medical instruments that emits loud noises, flashes bright lights, and displays an 80-character message when something goes wrong, available for purchase via the Public Invention shop.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40% reduction in fuel usage for open-fire cooking with EcoPot heat transfer fins
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNASA partnered with Public Invention's MCOG project team to develop an open-source control system for NASA's Ceramic Oxygen Generation (COG) technology. The project enhances life support for space missions and has applications for global health and oxygen generation in harsh environments. A final report was submitted to NASA.
• KidsOR (Kids Operating Room)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKidsOR partnered with NASA and Public Invention to loan ceramic oxygen generator technology to help save young lives in low-income countries. The NASA/AmOx/Public Invention system was installed at KidsOR headquarters in Dundee, Scotland. KidsOR is running a six-month experiment testing the oxygen generator. KidsOR has installed 101 operating rooms and performed 722,401 pediatric surgeries.
• Helpful EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHelpful Engineering collaborated with Public Invention on multiple projects including VentOS (open-source ventilation platform), VentCon events, and the Ox oxygen concentrator project. Public Invention and Helpful Engineering jointly organized VentCon and VentCon QARA regulatory conferences.
• Open Source Medical Supplies (OSMS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOSMS collaborated with Public Invention on open-source medical supplies projects. OSMS shared face shield designs and other pandemic response resources. Public Invention contributed to OSMS's oxygen concentrator maintenance guide and GOSQAS tracking system.
• COSMICminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOSMIC is among the non-profits (along with Public Invention and Helpful Engineering) that drove open-source medical device innovation during the COVID-19 pandemic, sharing knowledge and resources.
• Project ApollominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject Apollo collaborated with the Ox Project on open-source oxygen concentrator development. Their VentOS project work is shared with the broader open-source ventilator community.
• EnAccess OpenO2minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnAccess OpenO2 collaborated with the Ox Project and Public Invention on open-source oxygen concentrator technology for rugged environments.
• Sustainable Progress and Equality Collective (SPEC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPEC collaborated with Public Invention on the General Purpose Alarm Device (GPAD) project. The GPAD was developed as a collaboration between Public Invention and SPEC.
• Rice UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRice University students tested EcoPot design additions including heat transfer fins, finding a 40% reduction in fuel usage. Undergraduate students contributed to pot design research. Rice University EcoPot team received a Public Invention award.
• University of Colorado Boulder / Colorado Mesa PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEight senior mechanical engineering students at the University of Colorado Boulder / Colorado Mesa Partnership Program recreated the PolyVent as part of a bioengineering elective course in November 2024, implementing all valves, sensors, and electronics.
• Smith CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmith College's SmithVent ventilator, which uses a proportional valve system, influenced the PolyVent redesign in 2022 toward a proportional valve approach using compressed air and oxygen.
• The Apache FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Freespireco Project uses the Apache Way governance processes as a model for organizing and governing its open-source development, emphasizing 'Community over Code'.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Mozilla Foundation: Through the Mozilla Open Source Software (MOSS) Foundation, Mozilla awarded Public Invention a $20,000 grant in 2020. Mozilla's open-source ecosystem support and mission alignment make it a thematically related peer, though Mozilla operates at internet/software scale rather than hardware.

Direct peers

• Project Apollo: Collaborated with Public Invention on the Ox Project, an open-source oxygen concentrator for rugged environments, and shared VentOS ventilator work. Project Apollo operates in the same open-source medical hardware niche with overlapping technology stack.
• Sustainably Held (Sustainable Progress and Equality Collective): Collaborated with Public Invention on the General Purpose Alarm Device (GPAD) project. SPEC is an adjacent open-source humanitarian engineering organization working on similar low-cost medical and safety devices.
• COSMIC: A non-profit involved in open-source medical device innovation during COVID-19 alongside Public Invention and Helpful Engineering. COSMIC shares knowledge and resources in the same ecosystem of open-source medical hardware for humanitarian use.
• Helpful Engineering: A volunteer-driven global organization that rapidly mobilizes engineers to address humanitarian crises, including the VentOS open-source ventilator project and VentCon regulatory conferences. Public Invention and Helpful Engineering co-organized multiple open-source medical device efforts during COVID-19, making them directly comparable in mission and model.
• EnAccess: Collaborated with Public Invention on the OpenO2 open-source oxygen concentrator for low-resource settings. EnAccess focuses on enabling access to essential technology through open-source approaches, directly aligned with Public Invention's mission.
• Open Source Medical Supplies (OSMS): A nonprofit that coordinates open-source manufacturing of medical supplies during emergencies, collaborating with Public Invention on oxygen concentrator maintenance guides and the GOSQAS quality assurance system. Both organizations pursue open-source approaches to medical hardware for humanitarian and crisis response.

Broad incumbents

• Open Source Hardware Association (OSHWA): The leading advocacy organization for open-source hardware, maintaining the Open Source Hardware certification program. Public Invention's OSH Registry project and broader open-source hardware philosophy overlap directly with OSHWA's mission, though OSHWA operates at the ecosystem/governance level rather than building devices.
• D-Rev: Designs and delivers affordable medical devices (e.g., Brilliance phototherapy lights, ReMotion prosthetics) for people living on less than $4 per day. D-Rev targets similar humanitarian medical device markets as Public Invention but with a product-focused, paid-staff model rather than volunteer-driven open-source approach.
• KidsOR (Kids Operating Room): A global nonprofit that installs pediatric operating rooms in low-income countries, partnering with Public Invention and NASA on ceramic oxygen generator deployment. KidsOR is a much larger organization (722,401 surgeries performed) and represents a customer/distribution partner rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/PubInv
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@publicinvention4825
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/public-invention

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Public Invention