Finalists Selected for ASME’s Three ISHOWs

Thirty visionary entrepreneurs from across the globe have been selected as the finalists for the three ASME Innovation Showcases (ISHOWs) that the Society will hold this spring. Ten finalists will compete at each of the 2016 ISHOW events: the ISHOW India in Bengaluru, India, on April 28; the ISHOW Kenya in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 26; and the ISHOW–USA in Washington, D.C., on June 16.

This is the second year that the competitions have focused on hardware-led social innovations that improve the quality of life in communities throughout the world. The ISHOW program offers these global innovators the opportunity to win a share of $500,000 in prizes and receive an extensive design and engineering review of their products by a panel of industry experts.

One of the finalists in the ISHOW India competition, Geethanjali Radhakrishnan, has entered the Portable Hand-Held Dermascope, a multi-wavelength dermascope that can detect and continuously monitor various skin diseases non-invasively in low resource and rural communities. The device has considerable potential in helping reduce the occurrence of various non-fatal skin diseases, which are the most common non-communicable disease in India, affecting approximately 12 percent of the population.

The Bempu Bracelet, a baby bracelet that detects and alerts in the event of neonatal hypothermia, is one of the entries in the 2016 ISHOW India competition.

A second finalist, Gini Morgan, is the creator of The Bempu Bracelet, a simple baby bracelet that detects and alerts in the event of neonatal hypothermia, thereby ensuring improved thermal care, detection of infection, and the prevention of hypoglycemia, poor weight gain, and newborn fatalities. The bracelet, which has many unique features, was designed to fit low birth weight babies, preterm babies, and normal weight babies.

Eight other innovators will also take part in the 2016 ISHOW India. The finalists and the social innovations they will present at the competition are:

• Madhav Aggarwal, Navyo, a smart glove that uses vibrations to guide visually impaired people as they navigate through turns;
• Arpit Dhupar, inC by Project Carbon, a device that can be coupled to the exhaust manifold of a diesel engine to reduce the amount of soot generated by more than 60 percent;
• Buddha Burman, The 4SL Box, a system that enables the creation of digital classrooms anywhere, without the need for electricity, Internet or buildings;
• Manohar Sambandam, GRoboMac, farm equipment that mechanizes such farming chores as seeding, transplanting, weeding, harvesting and the application of fertilizers and pesticides;
• Bala Bhaskar, The Nano Science Lab, a portable, cost-effective and mobile laboratory that science teachers can carry with them into classrooms;
• Mathias Koepke, SOLBox, a new metering solution that permits bi-directional, peer-to-peer low-voltage DC electricity trading between households and local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs);
• Satish KS, Siri — Smart Irrigation Controller, a low-cost smart irrigation controller farmers in developing communities can use to improve crop yields and save power, money and time through precise irrigation;
• Bola Somade, The Helix Stove, a next-generation clean-burning cookstove that incorporates several important technology and design innovations to allow for cost-effective manufacturability.

Lawrence Ojok is one of the 10 finalists competing in the 2016 ISHOW in Kenya. Ojok’s invention, The Green Rock Drill, is an intermediate machine for small-scale miners that incorporates a bicycle-powered wheel and a DC motor.

The 10 finalists selected for the ISHOW in Kenya next month include Lawrence Ojok, creator of The Green Rock Drill, and Joel Kariuki, the inventor of The Sisal Decorticator. The Green Rock Drill is an intermediate machine, which is designed to use a bicycle-powered wheel and a DC motor, is intended for small-scale miners who want to avoid using both inefficient primitive mining methods and costly advanced mining methods. The Sisal Decorticator is a device that addresses the challenge faced by small-scale sisal farmers in much of Kenya and Africa by removing the cortex of the sisal leaf from the sisal fiber, which is the valuable part of the plant for farmers.

The following eight finalists will also compete at the 2016 ISHOW in Kenya:

• Chuma Asuzu, Flowbyte, a device that correctly calculates the amount of fuel dispensed, alerting buyers to possible meter tampering and providing better value to buyers of petroleum products;
• Grace Njoora, Kokoboda, a combination four-wheeled cart and motorcycle that provides a number of freight transportation advantages compared to regular motorcycles, hand carts and small trucks, such as improved speed, safety, and affordability;
• Taita Ngetich, Smart Mobile Farming, a line of simple, modern greenhouses with sensor technology to regulate water supply and monitor temperature, humidity, and soil moisture;
• Tom Vanneste, Kukua Weather Station, a low-cost, internet-connected, solar-powered weather station that provides real-time weather data online;
• Grit Systems, The Grit Meter, a web-enabled multisource smart meter that helps users in under-electrified communities make informed decisions about how best to consume and produce electricity;
• Edmand Aijuka, Kamata, a remotely monitored system that protects electricity sources from attempted power theft and tampering; and
• Patrick Kiruki, Banza Toilet, an effective and inexpensive in-home sanitation unit that provides families with a safe, accessible alternative to public latrines.

The AguaPallet, which is entered in the 2016 ISHOW–USA event, is a hollow, plastic pallet that can be used for delivering aid packages and water in emergency situations.

Keri Waters, inventor of Calliope, and Shaun Craill, the creator of AguaPallet, are among the finalists facing off at the 2016 ISHOW–USA. Waters’ entry, Calliope, is a connected device that provides homeowners with real-time, detailed information about their water use, notifications of leaks or other water waste, and remote water shutoff via an app. Craill’s AguaPallet is a hollow, plastic pallet that can be used for delivering aid packages and water in emergency situations. Once the aid is delivered, the pallet can be converted into a hand cart by adding a handle and a pair of wheels. Re-using the pallet increases logistical efficiency and maximizes return on investment for aid distribution networks.

The other eight finalists who were selected to compete at the 2016 ISHOW–USA are:

• Tim Prestero, Otter Warmer, a durable, washable warming bassinet for premature and low birthweight newborns;
• Gordon McCambridge , Node, a low-cost, GSM/GPRS enabled, Arduino based, rugged universal data monitoring unit for collecting real time field data;
• Jason Kass, The Crapper, an affordable, waterless composting toilet that uses an established, open-source toilet technology to safely treat human waste;
• Erin Ross, Stove Trace, a cloud-based remote monitoring system for improved cookstove operation in rural households;
• Jessica Menold, Amparo, a prosthetic socket comprised primarily of thermoplastic material that enables the user to reshape their socket as necessary;
• William Jeffries, Heat Seek, web-connected temperature sensors that monitor low-income apartments for heating code violations;
• Adam Dixon, Hydrosac, a flexible patented hydroponic/aquaponic irrigation system featuring an inflated support chamber and an integrated aerator for improved water aeration;
• Kayla Matheus, Moti, an Internet of Things (IOT) device that integrates insights from behavioral science, social robotics and human-centered design to help people adopt healthy habits to improve their lives; and
• Nick Quintong, PayGo Energy Smart Meter Technology (SMT), a system that provides customers in developing countries with affordable access to modern fuels and cooking appliances, thereby reducing their reliance on such dirty fuels as charcoal and kerosene.

For more information on the ISHOWs in India, Kenya and the United States, visit https://thisishardware.org.