company or country and involve people who, without the copyleft mechanism, might not collaborate otherwise. There is now also a third trend, where these two methods come together to use high-tech open-source (e.g. 3D printing) but customized local solutions for sustainable development. Open Design holds great potential in driving future innovation as recent research has proven that stakeholder users working together produce more innovative designs than designers consulting users through more traditional means. Open machine design as compared to open-source software The open-design movement is currently fairly nascent but holds great potential for the future. In some respects design and engineering are even more suited to open collaborative development than the increasingly common open-source software projects, because with 3D models and photographs the concept can often be understood visually. It is not even necessary that the project members speak the same languages to usefully collaborate. However, there are certain barriers to overcome for open design when compared to software development where there are mature and widely used tools available and the duplication and distribution of code cost next to nothing. Creating, testing and modifying physical designs is not quite so straightforward because of the effort, time and cost required to create the physical artefact; although with access to emerging flexible computer-controlled manufacturing techniques the complexity and effort of construction can be significantly reduced (see tools mentioned in the fab lab article). Organizations Open design is currently a fledgling movement consisting of several unrelated or loosely related initiatives. Many of these organizations are single, funded projects, while a few organizations are focusing on an area needing development. In some cases (e.g. Thingiverse for 3D printable designs or Appropedia for open source appropriate technology) organizations are making an effort to create a centralized open source design repository as this enables innovation. Notable organizations include: AguaClara, an open-source engineering group at Cornell University publishing a design tool and CAD designs for water treatment plants Arduino, an open-source electronics hardware platform, community and company Elektor: electronics Instructables : miscellaneous Local Motors : methods of transport, vehicles LittleBits One Laptop Per Child, a project to give every child in developing territories a laptop computer with open hardware and software OpenCores : digital electronic hardware Open Architecture Network : places. to shelter Open Hardware and Design Alliance (OHANDA) OpenStructures (OSP), a modular construction model where everyone designs on the basis of one shared geometrical grid. Open