Courtney Ludick is a relatively new member of one of Public Invention’s most international projects, the Krake. Headed by Nagham Kheir from Lebanon and Lee Erickson from Tennessee, the team has members from almost every continent.
Ludick herself lives in Scotland, where she enjoys hiking in the Scottish highlands, gardening, and camping. Outside these interests, she also works with the Scotland-based nonprofit KidsOR, which supports the creation of operating rooms in underserved countries and communities.
“I specialise in the installation, maintenance, and testing of operating theatre equipment in low-resource settings around the world. Over the past four years, I’ve supported the delivery of more than 130 operating rooms,” Ludick said.
A biomedical engineer by training, Ludick has always had a passion for promoting the health and wellbeing of patients and users through technology. KidsOR has allowed her to do just that.
“My career so far has been driven by a desire to combine technical expertise with meaningful impact,” Ludick stated. “[I use] engineering to improve patient outcomes and support healthcare systems where resources are limited.”
While working at KidsOR, Ludick was made aware of a collaborative project taking place between KidsOR and US-based nonprofit Public Invention. Though she had no prior knowledge of open-source engineering, Ludick became interested in the organization and looked for an avenue to join.
“I met Dr. Robert Read due to Kids Operating Room’s collaboration with Public Invention on the MCOG project,” Ludick shared. “Prior to this, I was unaware about open-source engineering. Public Invention was certainly my gateway.”
The Krake Project
During her meeting with Public Invention Founder Robert Read, he recommended the Krake as a good project for Ludick’s skillset. The Krake is a programmable alarm device, developed from the previous project the GPAD, which aims to be customizable, loud, and work in tandem with alarm management software such as the ADaM. Nagham Kheir and Lee Erickson welcomed Ludick and her expertise in documentation and design.
“I started as the enclosure design engineer and have recently moved to a role focusing more on enhancement of the technical documentation,” Ludick said. “The team dynamic is great [and] everyone is very passionate about project completion and sharing knowledge.”
Since Ludick joined the project in late 2025, the Krake team and project has continued to expand. It is wi-fi enabled and is currently being upgraded to contain larger file sizes for audio and software integration. Ludick herself has made her mark on the project, co-presenting the Krake during the 2026 Volunteer Appreciation Night in February of this year.
An Introduction to Open Source and a New Perspective
Since joining Public Invention, Ludick has learned more about open-source engineering and the wider mission of the movement.
However, the central motivation for the project is something that her work with KidsOR demonstrates as an older interest; that is, benefitting those who need it most through technological innovation.
“I connect strongly to Public Invention’s mission because it aligns with the idea of making knowledge more accessible and encourages collaboration,” Ludick said. “I think making information more widely available and collaborative is the best way to create impactful and useful projects.”
After experiencing firsthand a collaborative project team with members from across the world, Ludick also emphasized Public Invention’s unique impact when it comes to lowering barriers for inventors as well as their users.
“PubInv does a great job at lowering the barriers surrounding innovation while solving real world problems,” Ludick said. “I honestly believe it’s a responsible, community minded and ethical mission that’s beneficial.”
Ludick continues to work with the Krake team on additional improvements to its system, optimizing for future software integration and customizability. The team is also working on a paper with the aim of publication in 2026, and they continue to integrate new volunteers into the team. Ultimately, Ludick demonstrates how open-source work can foster collaboration between both organizations and individuals, providing more opportunities to make a positive difference through one’s technical skillset, passion, and interests.