WeWALK Smart Cane shortlisted for prestigious UK engineering innovation award
The WeWALK Smart Cane, a mobility technology designed to support greater independence for blind and low vision people, has been named as one of three finalists for the Royal Academy of Engineering’s 2026 MacRobert Award.
The long-running award, regarded as one of the UK’s most prestigious prizes for engineering innovation, recognises technologies that combine commercial potential with clear societal benefit.
WeWALK has been shortlisted alongside innovations in rail safety and genomic sequencing, with the finalists representing engineering breakthroughs from London, Northumberland and Oxford.
Designed in partnership with RNIB, Imperial College and members of the sight loss community, the WeWALK Smart Cane uses smart technology to help close the mobility gap for visually impaired people.
For decades, many of the 295 million people worldwide living with visual impairments have relied on mobility tools, including white canes, which have remained largely unchanged. While traditional canes play an important role, they can be limited in detecting certain obstacles and supporting navigation in increasingly complex environments.
The WeWALK Smart Cane has been developed to build on the familiarity and function of the white cane while incorporating sounds, vibrations and connected technology. Through the cane, users can be alerted to obstacles, identify an approaching bus, check directions and complete journeys more confidently.
Robin Spinks, Inclusive Design Lead at RNIB, said: “RNIB is delighted to have been an integral part of the journey of the WeWALK Smart Cane.
“Our strategic partnership with WeWALK, Imperial College and the sight loss community has enabled us to move closer to realising true independence and mobility for blind and low vision people in the UK and beyond.”
Dr Jean Marc Feghali, Chief Innovation Officer at WeWALK, said the technology reflects both lived and professional experience of sight loss.
He commented: “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 Royal Academy of Engineering said this year’s finalists underline the UK’s strength as a global leader for innovation, with each shortlisted team demonstrating technology that is already delivering real-world benefits.
Dr Alison Vincent CBE FREng, Chair of the MacRobert Award judging panel, said: “The MacRobert Award exists to celebrate engineering that makes a genuine difference, and this year’s finalists do exactly that.
“What unites this year’s finalists is their ability to take a complex problem and solve it with elegant, deployable technology, technology that is already providing real-world benefits, saving time and money, and in some cases, saving lives.
“That combination of commercial rigour and genuine societal benefit is what the MacRobert Award has stood for since it was created in 1969, and these finalists embody it completely.”
The three finalist teams are competing for a gold medal, a £50,000 prize and a luxury weekend at the MacRobert estate in Aberdeenshire.
The winner will be announced at the Royal Academy of Engineering’s annual Awards Dinner on 8 July at The OWO, Raffles London.
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