NEW YORK (July 26, 2023) – The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) has announced the regional winners of the 2023 ASME Innovation Showcase (ISHOW), the prestigious international accelerator of hardware-led social innovation. Eight social ventures from throughout the Americas and England presented their design prototypes at ASME ISHOW USA held virtually July 18-26. Three of these ventures emerged as regional ISHOW USA winners who will share $30,000 (USD) in seed grants and receive technical support to help bring their design innovations to market.

The 2023 ASME ISHOW USA winners are:

• Burn Design Lab (Vashon Island, Wash., U.S.) for its “BDL Improved Shea Nut Roaster” – an improved shea roaster that reduces up to 90% of wood-fuel use and up to 70% of PM2.5 exposure compared to the traditional roasting stage of hand-crafted shea butter production, improving livelihoods and the environment in West Africa

• Haasten (La Para, Argentina) for its “SIP-N Weighting System” – a comprehensive data management and process automation solution installed in mixers that prepare cattle feed, the system helps make the food preparation process more efficient, avoiding waste and digestive problems in livestock

• Safi (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) for “The Safi Handle” – a cost effective pasteurization handle for farmers in East Africa that kills milk-borne pathogens including MERS, a coronavirus 10 times deadlier than COVID19; The device is compact, does not require power, and allows farmers to easily pasteurize their daily yield in less than three minutes.

The ISHOW awards ceremony featured opening remarks by ASME Chief Strategy Officer Michael Johnson and a keynote address by Amish Parashar, chief executive officer of Explorers' Lab, about the role of innovation and entrepreneurship in empowering next-generation engineers and entrepreneurs to build a more equitable and sustainable future for all.

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

ASME ISHOW annually matches 24 carefully selected innovators with appropriate experts to ensure that the proposed hardware solutions are technologically, environmentally, culturally, and financially sustainable. The 2023 ASME ISHOW USA judges and facilitators include experts in research, mechanical engineering and product design, manufacturing, startup financing, supply chain, and business strategy, representing organizations including Berkeley Lab, Brigham Young University, Penn State, Villgro USA, and more. These subject matter experts provide technical and strategic guidance based on ISHOW’s five key pillars: customer/user knowledge, hardware validation, manufacturing optimization, implementation strategy, and sustainability/impact.

ASME is grateful to The Lemelson Foundation for its continued support of the ISHOW with a three-year strategic investment and to ISHOW implementation partners around the globe.