The global impact of this year’s finalists demonstrates that the Cambridge cluster and indeed the UK innovation scene are stronger than ever. They are:
Darktrace for their cyber ‘immune system’ that uses machine learning to self-learn what is ‘normal’ for an organisation’s computer network and uses that understanding to detect and fight back against emerging threats that human operators may miss, while keeping the rest of a system running.
Raspberry Pi for its inexpensive credit card-sized microcomputers, which are redefining how people engage with computing, inspiring students to learn coding and computer science and providing innovative control solutions for industry.
Vision RT for the world’s most accurate real-time 3D body surface imaging system that enables doctors giving radiotherapy to target cancerous tumours with pinpoint accuracy, speeding treatment times while reducing discomfort for patients during radiotherapy and minimising collateral damage that can cause serious side effects.
The three finalists are competing for a gold medal and a £50,000 cash prize. The 2017 winner will be revealed at the Academy Awards Dinner in London on 29 June 2017 in front of an audience of top engineers, business leaders, politicians and journalists.
Many previous MacRobert Award-winning engineering innovations are now ubiquitous in modern technology, transport and healthcare. The very first award went jointly to Rolls-Royce for the Pegasus engine used in the iconic Harrier jets, and to Freeman, Fox and Partners for the Severn Bridge. In 1972 the judges recognised the extraordinary potential of the first CT scanner developed at EMI – seven years before its inventor Sir Godfrey Hounsfield received the Nobel Prize.
MacRobert Award winners are chosen by a panel of Fellows of the Academy, using a comprehensive selection process.
Darktrace has developed pioneering, autonomous machine learning software designed to detect and defend against cyber security threats from within computer networks. The Enterprise Immune System self-learns the normal ‘pattern of life’ of every user and device within a network, and uses that understanding to identify and autonomously respond to threatening anomalies in real time. It acts as a cyber immune system that can immediately detect and neutralise emerging threats, such as ransomware, data theft or prohibited access. Like the human immune system, the Enterprise Immune System does not need any experience of past attacks to understand that an anomaly is potentially threatening. No other software can currently achieve this without some level of human input to define the boundaries of the system or certain aspects of the network. Just four years after launch, the Enterprise Immune System is defending IT systems in over 60 countries for customers including government agencies, international banks, healthcare providers and telecoms operators.
The Raspberry Pi Foundation, through its low-cost, easy to use, credit card-sized microcomputers, is redefining how people learn about and engage with computing. The inexpensive micro PC can be used as the control centre of just about anything, from creating video games to robots, multi-room sound systems, pet feeders, or even scientific experiments. It has inspired a new generation of makers and brought computer programming into classrooms in a fun and engaging way. After initially setting out to help increase the number of computer science applicants to University of Cambridge, the Raspberry Pi team has sold over 14 million devices through exceptional engineering and public outreach. Not only have they put the power of coding into the hands of people all over the world, they have also created a whole new class of computing device that has revolutionised the way engineers design control systems in industry.
London-based Vision RT began in an attic in 2001 and today all the top five “Best Hospitals for Cancer” in the USA use its technology. Nearly 1,000 systems have been sold around the world including to the UK National Health Service. Vision RT has developed AlignRT, a guidance system for radiotherapy that helps doctors target cancerous tumours with pinpoint accuracy, reducing harmful collateral damage during treatment. The Company’s AlignRT system can also eliminate the need for patients to have their skin tattooed as part of treatment, meaning cancer survivors will no longer need to carry this visual reminder of their cancer. AlignRT offers significant clinical benefits. For example, left breast cancer patients may be at risk of heart damage from radiotherapy. UK guidelines currently recommend breath-holding techniques – where a patient fills their lungs and holds their breath to move the tumour away from the heart – to help reduce this risk. The AlignRT system, which tracks the patient position to within 1mm, automatically shuts off the beam when it is off-target, making treatment safer and more relaxed for patients.
Dr Dame Sue Ion DBE FREng FRS, Chair of the Royal Academy of Engineering MacRobert Award judging panel, said: “This year’s MacRobert Award finalists are making a real impact in cyber security, STEM education and cancer treatment. Each of them demonstrates engineering innovation of the highest calibre, but what I’m most proud of is that while they benefit people all over the world, their roots have remained firmly in the UK, bringing significant wealth into our economy. Those with hardware have chosen to manufacture everything here, not for noble reasons but because it makes good business sense, cementing the UK’s global reputation as a leading innovation nation.”
About the MacRobert Award
First presented in 1969, the MacRobert Award is widely regarded as the most coveted in the industry. Founded by the MacRobert Trust, the award is presented and run by the Royal Academy of Engineering, with support from the Worshipful Company of Engineers. For more information, visit: www.raeng.org.uk/prizes/macrobert
Previous winners include EMI Ltd, who in 1972 developed the CT Scanner, a vital medical device that can now be found in almost every hospital in the developed world. In 2002 Cambridge Display Technologies won the MacRobert Award for its light emitting polymer displays for televisions and smart phones. In 2014 the Award was given to Cobalt Light Systems, which pioneered a technique to determine the chemical composition of materials in containers and behind a range of other barriers including skin, for use in airport scanners and medical diagnostics.
Last year’s winner was Basingstoke-based Blatchford, developer of the Linx - the ‘world’s most intelligent prosthetic limb’. The Linx is the first ever prosthetic limb with integrated robotic control of the knee and foot; a system in which the parts work together like a human leg. To do this, the Linx uses a network of sensors across both the knee and foot, which act like human nerves, continuously collecting data on the user, activity, environment and terrain. The central computer then acts like the brain, using this data to adapt the limb’s response using pioneering software called Mi² (Motion integrated intelligence). This means the wearer can walk confidently, knowing that the limb will be at the right speed and support level at all times.
The company currently employs 800 people worldwide and in 2015-2016 alone it achieved a 25% increase in global sales. The company invests 10% of its revenue back into further research and development, which means that it is already working on future advances.
The 2017 MacRobert Award judges are:
Dr Dame Sue Ion DBE FREng FRS (Chair)
Consultant; Chair, Nuclear Innovation Research Advisory Board
John Baxter CBE FREng FRSE
Chair, Advanced Nuclear Research Centre, The University of Strathclyde; formerly Group Engineering Director, BP
Nick Cooper FREng
Director, JN Cooper & Partners Ltd
Keith Davis
Chairman, The MacRobert Trust
Professor David Delpy CBE FREng FRS FMedSci
Chairman, Defence Scientific Advisory Council, Ministry of Defence
Dr Andrew Herbert OBE FREng
Formerly Chairman, Microsoft Research EMEA
Professor Ric Parker CBE FREng
Formerly Director of Research & Technology, Rolls Royce
Dr Frances Saunders CB FREng
Formerly Chief Executive, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL)
About the Royal Academy of Engineering
As the UK’s national academy for engineering, we bring together the most successful and talented engineers for a shared purpose: to advance and promote excellence in engineering.
We provide analysis and policy support to promote the UK’s role as a great place to do business. We take a lead on engineering education and we invest in the UK’s world-class research base to underpin innovation. We work to improve public awareness and understanding of engineering. We are a national academy with a global outlook.
We have four strategic challenges:
- Make the UK the leading nation for engineering innovation
- Address the engineering skills crisis
- Position engineering at the heart of society
- Lead the profession
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