The UK's MND Association has praised the move.
"Helping maintain communication for someone with MND could be as simple as using a pen and paper. But as the disease progresses people often lose the use of their hands too," said Karen Pearce, Director of Care for the MND Association.
"That's when cutting edge Augmentative and Alternative Communication, or AAC, aids can help but it's vital speech and language therapists look at the best options for families.
"It will be exciting to see how this open source approach works."
Euan MacDonald, an MND sufferer who runs a disabled access reviews website called Euan's Guide , said, "AAC is an absolutely fundamental part of my life. Unlike medical research, technology is moving very quickly and it's exciting to see new things emerge every year.
"The more that technology can help us express what we are thinking, the better," he added.