One of Public Invention’s most important current projects is the NASA M-COG project, where a team of top Invention Coaches including Robert L. Read and Forrest (Lee) Erickson have been developing a control system for a ceramic oxygen generator. Developed by American Oxygen and NASA for use in medical services in space and on Mars, there was also a need for development of the technology for use on this planet.
That was where Scotland-based medical nonprofit KidsOR joined the collaboration already taking place between NASA, Public Invention, and American Oxygen. Dedicated to providing and promoting pediatric operating rooms in countries that lacked development in this area, KidsOR was interested in developing the M-COG for use in rugged, low-resource environments. Currently, the project is still being tested before deployment to the field. However, the collaboration has already been termed a success by both KidsOR and Public Invention leaders. In a recent interview, KidsOR’s Director of Global Operations David Tipping and Public Invention Founder Robert L. Read shared the story behind the project, their collaboration, and their perspectives on the development of medical and technical nonprofit collaborations.
Dave Tipping and KidsOR
Tipping has been involved with KidsOR since the beginning. Starting his career as an architect in healthcare design for the NHS, he was involved in the initial one-off project headed by Garreth Wood and Nicola Wood. The couple was inspired to support the first Ugandan pediatric surgeon to have his own operating room and begin ministering to over 22 million underserved children in the country.
“I was involved in the inception of KidsOR with the founders Garreth Wood and Nicola Wood,” Tipping said. “I was really drawn to their vision and focus about making surgery possible for children where it currently isn’t. That’s sort of the premise.”
After the one-off project, however, the Woods and other funders were profoundly impressed by the impact of installing just one operating room. Moved to action, the founders decided to expand the project into a nonprofit that would continue to provide technical support and medical equipment for local surgeons in underserved communities and countries. Since its founding in 2018, the organization has delivered over 130 surgical facilities across 37 countries, increasing the surgical capacity of each community they touch.
Tipping shared his role in the organization, and expanded on the specific areas of development that KidsOR targets through its work.
“I serve currently as the Director of Global Operations where I oversee the delivery of our programs worldwide,” Tipping said. “This [includes] designing and installing pediatric operating theaters and operating rooms, developing infrastructure solutions like power systems, and hopefully, oxygen systems.”
This latter area is where KidsOR and Public Invention first connected. The M-COG project could revolutionize oxygen availability for surgery in environments previously closed to its transportation. Together, the two nonprofits continue to develop this technology together.
The Ceramic Oxygen Generator Project
A mutual colleague from NASA, John Graf, introduced Public Invention Founder Robert L. Read to Tipping and KidsOR. The M-COG project was already under development by a collaborative trifecta of NASA, Public Invention, and American Oxygen. However, beyond its technical development, NASA planned to test the project’s practicality on earth under rugged conditions before space deployment. This was where KidsOR entered the project’s picture, Read explained.
“A company called American Oxygen developed the fundamental part of this technology. Public invention has done the digital control part of it,” Read said. “What NASA wants out of this project is to show that it's rugged and can be used in the field and is ready for prime time. It's one thing to do something in a laboratory. It's another thing to do it in an operating room in Uganda, for example.”
Beyond merely testing the system for space applications, however, NASA also had a stake in developing the technology for medical and business usage on earth and in America. Additionally, ensuring it could be used in medical applications on earth could expand the project’s immediate usefulness and spur further innovations.
“I think the idea of M-COG being used in a medical context was already there,” Dave shared. “This was technology designed for space by NASA [and] I believe the potential for use in rural settings was identified by NASA.”
Read expanded on this position, noting the usefulness of such a device on American business as well as worldwide innovation.
“NASA's position is to spur innovation, particularly in American businesses. And so if they can make this a commercially developed technology, then it'll be solid and stable and well understood when they need to purchase it for a true mission in space.”
Current Status
The M-COG project was installed in KidsOR’s headquarters in Scotland in September 2025. However, it is still in the development and validation phase. KidsOR is currently completing field tests of the project, and are gathering funding to make the design more efficient and powerful for use in a rugged hospital setting.
“It is currently a one-stack design. We're actively seeking funding to get basically a more efficient design utilizing multiple stacks,” Tipping said. Such a design would allow the device to fill with pure oxygen at a faster pace.
“That will be useful based on a small district hospital’s needs. So, this would be a one stop solution for your most rural, remote district hospital in the remote parts of earth.”
In parallel to KidsOR’s work in fundraising and field testing, American Oxygen, Public Invention and NASA continue to develop the technology to make the control system more responsive and inexpensive.
“Public invention recently got a new contract with NASA to try to research the possibility of making the system a little bit cheaper and faster to turn on,” Read noted. “Now what's happening is that it is ongoing, and we're trying to move it into the field.”
The Power of Collaboration in the Nonprofit Sphere
Beyond the M-COG specifically, both Read and Tipping reflected on the power of open collaboration between nonprofits, disparate organizations, and individuals, as their current project demonstrates. Not only does it allow specialized nonprofits to complete projects otherwise outside their usual scope, but it also widens the talent pool and allows more skillsets to get involved with nonprofit work and projects.
“Scotland's got a population of 5 million people, and Dundee's got 100,000,” Tipping noted. “But the ability to collaborate with others broadens that scope out to the US and the whole world. And Rob's managed to pull a team of brilliant minds together to look at exciting, real challenges and real life projects.”
Read reflected on the other side of this coin; that is, the increased opportunity for those who wish to get involved to do so. Open-source technology in particular, of which the M-COG is just one of many projects, allows engineers and technologists from across the world to collaborate, contribute, and make a difference for underserved populations.
“What we're trying to do is pioneer an approach where the many smart engineers across the world who want to do this,” Read said, “who want to help, who want to save lives, who want to make an impact, can have a mechanism for doing that.”
KidsOR and Public Invention Collaboration Around Open-Source Work
Tipping reflected on the unique intersection between the missions of KidsOR and Public Invention. While the former nonprofit focuses on practical medical infrastructure development while the latter develops new, open-source inventions, both work towards positively impacting people’s lives through the power of technology.
“I think we're passionate about the same thing,” Tipping said. “This is technology that can save lives. The projects that we're talking about are exciting because they scale up, give more access, improve the reach, and bring down the cost of things so we can do more of it.”
Additionally, he largely agreed with the open-source mission to promote open access to information and increased collaboration. Both he and Read looked forward to a more collaborative world, especially in the nonprofit industry.
“I hope we see a shift towards more open and collaborative innovation. I think obviously the key to Public Invention is in the name,” Tipping said. “We can learn a lot by working together, but only if we're willing to share and be open about what we're doing. I think that's really important.”
Read agreed with this view, reiterating the mission of Public Invention and the collaborative work that open-source designs can foster.
“We're all about sharing knowledge, and in some cases, generating knowledge, which we give away with open-source licenses,” Read said. “People can utilize those designs, and they can modify those designs and improve upon them and share them.”
The Possibility of Future Collaborative Projects
Both Read and Tipping looked forward to the successful completion of the M-COG project, and the possibility of developing further rugged medical technology together in the future. They also plan to continue meeting in-person, despite the distance between both organization’s headquarters. During the original installation of the M-COG, Read traveled from Austin to Dundee to provide supervision. There, he met Tipping in-person and learned more about the organization. Both leaders will soon have the opportunity to meet again, as Tipping plans to make a similar trip to Austin to attend the 2026 Public Invention Convention held this June.
Ultimately, the powerful collaboration that has made the M-COG project possible demonstrates the innovation of the nonprofit space and open-source engineering. Both Dave Tipping and Robert Read highlight the importance of working together in efforts to make the world a better place when it comes to technological projects and more.