2026 finalists

For decades, the 236 million people worldwide living with visual impairments have relied on tools – including white canes – which have remained largely unchanged by innovation and are ineffectual with detecting some obstacles.   

The WeWALK Smart Cane, designed by visually impaired people for visually impaired people, closes this gap by taking the original cane and incorporating smart sensory technology. Using sounds and vibrations, it alerts users to obstacles and offers an integrated wayfinding platform, allowing users to identify an approaching bus, check directions and complete journeys – all delivered through the cane.  

The technology was developed in partnership with the RNIB, and initial rollout has measurably improved the daily lives of visually impaired users. Indeed, it now has thousands of users across 60 different countries.

No longer reliant on outdated technologies or having to wait for a guide dog, visually impaired users report that the smart WeWALK cane has given them significantly more independence – for half the price of a smart phone.  

The cane is also customisable to users’ specific needs, as well as being waterproof against rain and elements.  

Its design is informed by years of research and development. Designer Jean Marc Feghali’s PhD thesis established its overarching mission: to improve quality of living for people with visual impairments – and it is achieving just that.  

WeWALK is continuing to evolve beyond its original design, expanding into a full navigation platform, with remote guidance applications for complex environments, such as airports and stations.  

Dr Jean Marc Feghali, Chief Innovation Officer at WeWALK, said: "As a team with lived and professional experience of sight loss, we know independence is not measured by the sensor or the algorithm. It is measured by whether technology helps us leave home more confidently and live fuller lives every day. WeWALK therefore goes beyond putting advanced technology into a white cane. By involving our community at every stage, we turned complex engineering into a tool that truly makes a difference. We hope WeWALK encourages more engineers to design with us, not just for us, because everyone deserves full and equal mobility."

The team

Faults in rail overhead lines are difficult to detect before they cause damage - leaving operators in a cycle of reactive repairs rather than proactive prevention, and costing the taxpayer millions in delays and disruption. In the worst cases, undetected faults pose a serious risk to passenger safety, potentially causing derailments.  

Northumberland-based Transmission Dynamics has created a groundbreaking technological solution that addresses this: PANDAS-V, a wireless video device, which generates analysis of overhead line conditions as faults emerge - giving engineers the information they need to intervene before potential accidents and disruption occur. 

Mounted on the tops of trains, PANDAS-V works to capture real-time video of the lines, generating analysis within seconds. This is intended to give engineers the information they need to intervene before potential accidents and disruption occur. 

It also can pinpoint the specific location of said faults, ending the need for engineers to march for hours trying to find the specific line issue.  

Grown and funded entirely in Northumberland, Transmission Dynamics has seen rapid commercial uptake, as there has been nothing on the market like it before. PANDAS-V has already been deployed across Network Rail services, reducing manual inspections and preventing dangerous de-wirement incidents.  

Transmission Dynamics is now helping set the industry benchmark for proactive rail infrastructure safety, revolutionising UK rail standards.  

Jarek Rosinski, Founder and Executive Chairman of Transmission Dynamics, said: “PANDAS-V represents a fundamental shift in how railway infrastructure is monitored and maintained. Rather than waiting for faults to cause disruption, damage or safety risks, we are enabling operators to identify and address issues before they become critical, creating a safer, more reliable and more efficient railway for passengers and operators alike. We are proud to be demonstrating that world-leading engineering innovation can be developed here in Northumberland and delivered across rail networks around the globe.”

The team

For over 20 years, gene sequencing research has been dominated by outdated synthesis methods. For most of that time, the technology has been slow, expensive and out of reach for most of the world.  

Oxford Nanopore Technologies has pioneered an alternative: nanopore-sensing technology which reads DNA and RNA strands directly, in real time, from anywhere, without the need for complex imaging systems or controlled laboratory environments. In practice, this means diseases can be identified and acted upon in hours, rather than weeks.  

The result is gene sequencing technology that is portable, affordable and accessible anywhere - not just in specialist facilities. 

Homegrown in Oxford, the technology has already been deployed to deliver real-world benefits in over 125 countries, supporting local surveillance and treatment of Ebola, Zika and SARS-Cov-2. In other clinical settings, its rapid analysis functionality has backed live treatment plans – even midway through surgery. 

From pinpointing the specific anti-microbial resistant strands in a patient’s sepsis condition, to reducing the diagnostic course from several days to a matter of hours, Oxford Nanopore is making medicine more targeted, more efficient, and more useful.   

As the technology continues to advance, Oxford Nanopore Technologies is becoming one of the most important tools in global healthcare. One day, it could be as ubiquitous and accessible as a microscope. 

Dr Lakmal Jayasinghe, Chief Scientific Officer of Oxford Nanopore, commented: “Everybody at Oxford Nanopore is delighted to be recognised by the MacRobert Award judges. What began as a scientific idea has become a technology used globally to generate real-time biological insight across research, healthcare and beyond. What excites me most is that we have only begun to realise the full potential of what this platform can do.”

The team