NEW YORK, Nov. 5, 2008 – A student team from Massachusetts Institute of Technology won first-place in the 2008 ASME Innovation Showcase (ASME IShow) held Oct. 31, in Boston.

MIT took top honors in a field of nine collegiate teams that entered design concepts and prototypes in ASME IShow, which recognizes inventive skill on the part of students as well as the potential for their new inventions to impact commercial markets.

Team Robopsy from MIT won for a remotely controlled robot that aids in medical biopsies.  The small, lightweight device attaches directly to a patient and aims a tiny probe at a tumor or other health abnormality, allowing a radiologist to perform assessments with pinpoint accuracy.

The University of California, San Francisco finished second and Johns Hopkins University received the third-place award in the 2008 ASME IShow.

ASME IShow was held in conjunction with the 2008 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress, which concludes on Nov. 6 at the Sheraton Boston.  ASME has developed ASME IShow in collaboration with the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance and Idea to Product competitions.  Now in its second year, ASME IShow aims to nurture a new generation of innovators, while supporting inventive undergraduate projects, student programs, and faculty curriculum development.

Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization promoting the art, science and practice of mechanical and multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences.  ASME develops codes and standards that enhance public safety, and provides lifelong learning and technical exchange opportunities benefiting the engineering and technology community.

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