ASCIP Innovation Lab 2023
2023 deadline for submissions is April 29, 2023
Are you a clinician who goes the extra mile to maximize your clients’ independence with adaptive equipment or unique modifications? Show us your skills!
The Therapy Leadership Council (TLC) is sponsoring the sixth annual ASCIP Innovation Lab at the 2023 ASCIP Conference! Spinal Cord Injury practitioners of all disciplines frequently create innovative adaptations to solve everyday problems for their clients, so we invite you to submit a piece of adaptive equipment or a modification that you’ve made that’s positively impacted your clients. The goals of this event are to share knowledge across practitioners to improve practice and quality of life for people with SCI, as well as to celebrate creative clinicians! An explanation of the scope and categories of devices, the judging process, submission instructions, and other important information is described below. Examples of past finalist submissions can be found here.
2021 Innovation Lab Entries
2023 Innovation Lab Entries
We welcome submissions from any of the following areas:
- Assistive Technology: equipment for accessing communication devices, computers, smart phones, tablets
- Environmental Modifications: environmental equipment for improving independence and safety in the home, community, or work environment
- ADL & IADL: equipment for increasing independence in ADLs (bathing, toileting, dressing, eating, grooming, sleep, & sexual health), IADLs (caregiving, community mobility, financial management, health management, meal preparation, & shopping)
- Mobility, Seating & Positioning: equipment and modifications for assistive devices and/or facilitating mobility (includes ambulation and wheelchair mobility), posture, or body position
- Sports & Recreation: equipment for use in sports/recreation activities
Submission Categories:
- High-Tech Category: Creating this device requires use of high-level technology or machines, which may not be available to all clinicians, for example: 3D design software and/or 3D printers, and welding machinery.
- Low-Tech Category: Creating this device requires access to basic materials available to most clinicians, for example: thermoplastic material, basic power or hand tools, and standard hardware.
Judging Process:
All submissions will be reviewed by the TLC Board based on the following judging criteria, on a 1-5 point scale:
- Practicality: How easy is it for the client to learn to utilize the equipment and use it successfully?
- Cost: How does it compare to commercially available options in the same category?
- Innovation: How novel is the device?
- Replication: How easy would it be for most SCI clinicians to re-create the device?
- Durability: Can it be used regularly without breaking down?
- Style/Design: How is the aesthetic appeal of the device?
In the event of a numerical tie, the TLC board will be responsible for deliberating and selecting winners. The top six rated submissions (three from the high-tech category, three from the low-tech category) will be invited to present their device at the 2023 ASCIP Conference during a scheduled presentation time and display their device in the Expo Hall.
After the presentation, conference attendees will vote for their favorite piece of equipment to select a “People’s Choice” Winner. A panel of clinician peers will also select two winners, one from the high-tech category, one from the low-tech category. The winners of “People’s Choice” and the peer panels will each receive 1 waived conference fee for the 2024 ASCIP Conference.
Other Important Information:
- Submissions cannot change the structure or integrity of any currently manufactured piece of DME or equipment.
- Equipment that has already been commercialized cannot be submitted. The application must include instructions for how to replicate the device. All submissions will be available for ASCIP members to view to help share knowledge that can improve the lives of individuals with SCI.
- Submissions must include a <2 minute video of the client using the device that must be uploaded to YouTube; teams are responsible for obtaining permission from clients based on their organization’s standards and policies.
- If you are submitting something that is 3D designed, we ask that you submit your .stl file too so that it could be shared for replication. If you are submitting something that involves programming or circuity, we ask that this file or instructions be submitted as well.
- Multiple people can be listed on one submission if a team approach was utilized to create the device; however, each team member is only allowed to submit one application for one device.
- Applicants who submitted last year are welcome to submit again, however it MUST be for a different device.
- The top six winners chosen by the TLC Board must attend conference with their device. All applicants will be notified shortly after the submission deadline, April 29, 2023. ASCIP will not provide financial assistance to attend the conference.
- Winners will receive a waived fee to attend the 2024 ASCIP Conference. In the event that a winner cannot use their waived fee for 2024, it can be transferred to a colleague; however, the waived fee cannot be transferred to another year.
Submission Instructions:
The application includes: contact info of inventor team (identify the lead person), category of submission, title of device, YouTube link of device being used by client, instructions on how to make the device, list of materials and cost, total cost, time needed to replicate the device, and consent to share instructions/materials/video to public so device can be replicated by others. Additional files can be emailed as an attachment to Randall Huzinec at rand5160@gmail.com