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Electronics company Sony today officially unveiled Open Planet Ideas, an online crowdsourcing initiative calling on designers, tech-wizards, conservationists and the public at large to suggest ways of repurposing existing Sony technology to combat climate change.

The goal is to generate fresh and innovative ideas through virtual collaboration. Adrian Northover-Smith, head of corporate public affairs at Sony UK, said: 'We want to get people bouncing ideas off each other, growing ideas in a community environment on a global basis.' 

He noted that up until the 20th century, discrete scientific discoveries and breakthroughs were being made and developed all over Europe in isolated pockets. He illustrated how online crowdsourcing offers a shared platform for big ideas, asking what can be achieved when this wealth of experience, different approaches and skill sets can work together unhindered by geographical barriers.

The project is being supported by the World Wildlife Fund, who will also offer input and consultation throughout the design process. Dax Lovegrove, head of business and industry relations at WWF, said: 'We need low carbon and ecological ICT solutions to help tackle the particularly high impact activities of humans and Sony's Open Planet Ideas initiative makes a superb contribution to this problem solving.'

Lovegrove also outlined some of key ecological concerns to which designers may look to devote their attention. He highlighted the destruction of natural habitats, in particular forested and fresh-water territories. He mentioned water scarcity and the drain on resources from food production and consumption - 'Seventy per cent of water withdrawals in the UK are used for crop growth'. Homes were identified as another critical drain on energy - 'Over 50 per cent of the carbon footprint of the UK can be attributed to building and renovating houses. Then add to this the carbon cost of our domestic use of water and energy.' Mobility was another gas guzzler - many of our vehicles are 'hugely carbon intensive'. 

The competition will chart each stage of the design process and participants can make contributions on everything, be it suggesting a problem to be tackled, proposing specific applications of existing technology or offering feedback on others' submissions. The winning idea will then be developed into a prototype with the aid of Sony's technological and the WWF's environmental expertise.

The first phase of the operation, termed Inspiration, gives a flavour of the idea. Here contributors can propose a specific environmental challenge that may be tackled by harnessing familiar technology and can submit digital photos, videos or sketchy notes. In the Concepting phase, a more detailed application of the technology in question can be fleshed out and developed. And afterwards the suggestions will be evaluated in a bid to identify what Northover-Smith termed 'the most elegant, beneficial and viable design'. 

Sony's own inspiration for the project came from a previous design initiative in the US. Last year, the company ran a competition inviting young people to deliver solutions to climate issues that affect their local community. A group of children from Meadow Vista school in California came up with an idea for tackling the forest fires that plague their region every summer. 

The Forests Guards concept was a network of solar powered CCTV cameras, which stream live footage online and to downloadable screen-savers and desktop widgets, providing emergency response units with thousands of watchful eyes and an early wildfire detection tool. Over eight months the team developed working prototypes for the cameras and tested them during the 2009 wildfire season in California.

The final stage will be to release the Sony designs and software into the public domain, making the technology available to all parties looking to combat forest fires globally.

Kate Bellingham, former presenter of BBC science programme Tomorrow's World, put her own seal of approval on the scheme. She confessed, 'when first I heard about this project I was a little dubious, worried it might be the X-Factor of design and technology innovation. But I realised it wasn't. Reaching out to a lot of people doesn't mean that we're dumbing down. By encouraging people to work together online, and tapping into their imagination and expertise, we'll get a new community of creative collaborators.

'It's great that anyone can take part, from sharing inspiration and 'applauding' other people's contributions,  to offering and developing technical ideas.  You don't need to have a scientific or engineering background - there are so many ways to get involved and to play a part in changing our world.'

As an engineer and former maths teacher, the idea of finding new applications for existing technologies had particular resonance with her because it harnesses both the inner problem-solver and our 'child-like inquisitiveness and creativity. Kids are brilliant at repurposing things, partly because they're not really interested in what things are for. Kids won't ask What's this meant to do? They'll ask What does this do?'

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