“I was asking Dr. Read if there were more ways for me to contribute, or how I could grow, especially in robotics. And that’s when he mentioned Public Invention.” – Avinash Baskaran
Avinash Baskaran has been a crucial contributor to multiple Public Invention projects, and has been involved in the open-source movement since his undergraduate years. With a special passion and talent for robotics, Baskaran began working on an optical sensor project for water quality testing through the nonprofit Engineers without Borders. During this project, he met Public Invention Founder Robert Read. After working together for six months, Baskaran found himself looking for further, similar opportunities and related experience. This was when Read told him of another open-source engineering organization.
“Dr. Read was one of the directors of my team, and he mentored me,” Baskaran said. “I was asking Dr. Read if there were more ways for me to contribute, or how I could grow, especially in robotics. And that’s when he mentioned Public Invention.”
The GlussCon Project: Robotics and Design
“We had to do all the control manually. And so, [Robert Read’s] idea was, let’s make…a small version of the Gluss [Tetrobot] which you can move by hand, and the Gluss robot will copy.” – Avinash Baskaran
Baskaran joined Public Invention in 2019, and since then, has remained an active member of the open-source community and its robotics projects. The first Public Invention project to which he contributed was the GlussCon Controller project. This project developed as a solution for the earlier Tetrobot project, a complex robot with multiple parts that was meant to change its shape for multiple uses related to agriculture and public safety. The large structure of the Tetrobot was difficult to control, however, which prompted the development of the GlussCon. This telepresence controller would manipulate the various parts of the complex robot, allowing for its practical usage.
Control through Miniature
“At that time there wasn’t AI or anything, so we had to do all the control manually. And so, [Robert Read’s] idea was, let’s make…a small version of the Gluss [Tetrobot] which you can move by hand, and the Gluss robot will copy. So, that became the GlussCon, or the Gluss Controller. We 3D printed a small version of the Gluss robot with sensors within each linkage, so that you could shrink it and expand it and wiggle it around,” Baskaran said. “Essentially, you could work and change the configuration of the robot so it would crawl over some surface, and the robot would respond through a Wi-Fi connection.”
After successfully completing the GlussCon project, the team published a paper about their findings. They also demoed the controller at one of the first Public Invention board meetings, to great success.
“All the board members, they’re not all engineers, but they actually got to use the GlussCon to control the robot,” Baskaran remembered. “It went really well, and it was a really successful project.”
The Librecorder Project: A Data-Analyzing Interface
Once the pandemic hit, Public Invention’s robotics projects unfortunately slowed down as the organization transitioned to more remote workflows. However, between 2019 and 2025, Baskaran completed his postdoctoral studies in open-source algorithms and robotics. During the program, he spent a year working with the Open Source Hardware Association (OSHWA), further developing his technical skills. Armed with this new experience, he rejoined Public Invention to start a new project in 2025; the Librecorder.
Project Mission and Design
“Librecorder is an interface, like a web interface, that connects various types of hardware…It’s really this imaging interface for expert diagnostics and analysis to happen online.” – Avinash Baskaran
The Librecorder is currently in the Design Phase of development, but it has already accrued the interest and participation of multiple new volunteers. The Librecorder promises to simplify the integration of diagnostic data through an AI-powered, free software, supporting both agricultural and medical professionals through analyzing their biological samples.
“Librecorder is an interface, like a web interface, that connects various types of hardware, for example, a smartphone or a microscope, or basically anything with a camera. [It connects] those devices to a single interface where it can bring in data, analyze it, and produce results for users,” Baskaran said. “It’s really this imaging interface for expert diagnostics and analysis to happen online.”
This online software promises to be invaluable to users ranging from clinicians and veterinarians to farmers and scientists. With its modular and flexible design, such users could even change the original, open source software and make their own additions, optimizing it for their specific use cases.
Open Source – Mission and Opportunity
Beyond these specific projects, Baskaran continues to research and support the wider open source movement. More recently, as he continues his postdoctoral research, his focus has shifted to finding solutions for rural communities in both the United States and international communities.
“I want to find ways to make open source highly practical to daily living, especially for people for whom the regular hardware economy is not accessible. So, folks who are farmers, or folks who live in a country where the supply chain infrastructure is not sturdy,” Baskaran said. “You know, there’s a lot of hardware needs that folks who live in the country have that people who live in more urban areas don’t have.”
In pursuit of this goal, Baskaran recently moved to rural Alabama, where he plans to continue work on open-source software like the Librecorder, and hardware like the GlussCon. His work and future projects aim to reduce the barrier of entry to crucial technology that low-income communities face.
“By making the effort to reproduce things, folks can learn a lot of new skills and understand technical concepts that weren’t previously clear.” – Avinash Baskaran
Finally, Baskaran emphasized the power of working in open source when it comes to learning new technology, and the possible educational value users can take away from such projects.
“I hope that people continue to recognize how valuable open source is for new things, because open source has a strong ethos around reproducibility: reproducible data, reproducible hardware, and reproducible software. By making the effort to reproduce things, folks can learn a lot of new skills and understand technical concepts that weren’t previously clear,” Baskaran said.
He also emphasized that the Librecorder, and many of Public Invention’s other active projects, are still recruiting further volunteers. He encouraged anyone interested in learning more to start their own forays into the open-source landscape.
“My hope is that people will read this article and feel like, ‘Okay, I can join Public Invention and learn new things and be inspired to join a new career or expand my career, or teach others the things I know,’” Baskaran said. “Stay tuned and join us. Do Public Invention on your own, or do it in a group with us. We’d be really happy to work with anyone.”
Baskaran continues his postdoctoral studies in Alabama while leading the Librecorder project team and conducting his own research. His story of initial interest in open-source robotics, to engaging in wider projects, joining the community, and focusing on open source engineering during his PhD., demonstrates the impact that open-source work can have on an Inventor’s life path. Not only does Baskaran’s work impact his own and his volunteers’ development, however, but it also provides free technology that will better the lives of farmers and scientists alike. This is the power of the free sharing of ideas, and the interchange of support and development that can arise from collaboration, technical innovation, and the mission to better the world through one’s talents and passions.