Three Start-ups Selected as Winners at ISHOW India

Three socially conscious start-up companies from India — the creators of a unique crop spraying system, a scanning device for detecting brain injuries, and a septic tank cleaning system — were named the regional winners of the recent 2020 ASME Innovation Showcase (ISHOW), a premier international accelerator of hardware-led social innovation.

Eight teams of social entrepreneurs presented prototypes of their inventions during the virtual event, which took place April 14-17. The three winning teams selected as the regional winners of ISHOW India — Aigret Innovations India Pvt. Ltd., Bioscan Research and Cherries Engineering Innovation India Pvt. Ltd. — will share $30,000 in seed grants and receive technical support to help bring their design innovations to market.

Aigret Innovations India of Pune, India, was named one of the winners for its Electrostatic Spraying System for produce. The system, which is more effective and four times more efficient than conventional spraying systems, provides a more uniform dispersion and coating of liquid to the applied crop area than traditional spraying methods.

The second regional winner, Bioscan Research of Ahmedabad, India, was selected for inventing Cerebo, a noninvasive, computerized system for detecting intracranial bleeding within two minutes. The system, which is based on near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, is portable and requires no special skills in order to operate it.

Cherries Engineering Innovation India of Bengaluru was named the third regional winner for its device, JALODBUST, which removes settled and densified sludge left behind by septic tank vacuum trucks and dewatering pumps. The system eliminates the sludge by scraping, agitating, and pumping it out — all without the need for any human contact.

A fourth company, Flexmotiv Technologies Pvt. Ltd. of Delhi, was selected as “Fan Favorite” for its product, the FlexMo Crutch, a self-standing crutch that is designed to be durable and slip-resistant in any environment. As winner of the “Fan Favorite” — the entry with the with the most votes on social media — Flexmotiv Technologies received a $1,000 prize, which was made possible and in memory of Byron G. Schieber Jr., M.S., P.E., Professor Emeritus QCCNY, and Ruth L. Schieber.

“We are proud to offer a forum for engineering problem-solving that truly improves lives,” said ASME Executive Director/CEO Tom Costabile. “We are continually impressed by the creative talent of ASME ISHOW participants and their passion for helping underserved communities around the world.”

ASME is grateful to The Lemelson Foundation for its continued support of the ISHOW as the Impact Inventing sponsor, and to ISHOW implementation partners throughout the world.

Virtual ISHOWs will be held for finalists of the ISHOW Kenya on May 19-21, with a virtual awards ceremony on May 27, and ISHOW USA events in July. For more information on the ISHOW program, or to view the ISHOW India participants’ product pitches, visit https://thisishardware.org.