To mark the 50th anniversary of the MacRobert Award, the Royal Academy of Engineering commissioned conceptual photographer Ted Humble-Smith to create the series of images in this online exclusive exhibition.
For this project, supported by the UK Intellectual Property Office and the GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland Campaign, Ted talked to the engineers who developed the concepts behind 10 former MacRobert Award winners. The results capture a sense of the thought process that enabled each engineering innovation.
Gallery
EMI Ltd, CT scanner
Winner 1972
The CT scanner revolutionised the medical world, making it possible to produce accurate and detailed pictures of brain tissue for the first time. The technique, called computerised tomography (CT), constructed a picture from measurements made by an X-ray source and detector rotating around the patient. The brain scanner produced by EMI was the first medical scanner to be adopted in substantial numbers.
Quantel Ltd, Paintbox TV graphics system
Winner 1988
The first technology of its kind, Paintbox was designed to make computer graphics for television broadcasts. It consisted of an electronic pen and a touch tablet that could display colour graphics on a TV screen as they were created. The artist David Hockney described using Paintbox as ‘like painting with light on glass’. As a package with Quantel’s Harry video editing system, it would revolutionise film production.
Cobalt Light Systems, Insight 100 airport security liquid scanner
Winner 2014
Cobalt Light Systems (now Agilent) developed an airport security scanner to identify in seconds any liquid in a container. Using lasers, liquids, and prisms a pattern of light is formed that is unique to the chemical composition of the substance, in bottles of up to three litres. The scanners are in use in more than 75 airports around the world.
Microsoft Research, Kinect for Xbox 360
Winner 2011
Microsoft’s Kinect is a motion-sensing gaming device that allows users to interact with a game using their body, without the need for a controller. The team applied machine learning techniques to teach the computer to analyse images from a depth sensing camera. The classifier was trained and tested using a large database covering varied poses and body types.
Soil Machine Dynamics, Undersea cable plough
Winner 1994
Soil Machine Dynamics engineered the world's first subsea plough, digging and burying the intercontinental cables that enable the world’s communications systems. Hidden underground, pipes and cable are sheltered from fishing equipment and currents. The remotely-controlled ploughs are equipped with monitoring systems and can work in all soil types, in deep waters and without the need for divers to oversee their operation.
Rolls-Royce, Pegasus engine for the Harrier Jump Jet
Joint winner 1969
The Rolls-Royce Pegasus engine powers the Harrier, the world’s first short take-off and vertical landing aircraft. The fan and core airflows pass through four nozzles that can swivel to provide thrust for either lift or forward propulsion. The balance of the thrust and the directional airflow allowed the Harrier to hover and—an air show favourite—to dip its nose.
Freeman, Fox and Partners, Severn Bridge
Joint winner 1969
Freeman, Fox and Partners designed the box-section deck of the Severn Bridge to be aerodynamically favourable to wind forces hitting the bridge side on. Opened in 1966, the bridge replaced the Aust Cliff to Beachley ferry between England and Wales, where the Severn is a mile wide. Each 132-tonne section was built in Chepstow and floated downriver to be hoisted into position.
British Gas, Intelligent PIG
Winner 1989
British Gas created the ‘intelligent pig’ (pipeline inspection gauge) to investigate underground gas and oil pipelines. Ruptures in pipelines could be extremely damaging, with fractures running at up to 2,000 metres per second over tens of kilometres. The pig moves inside a pipeline, pushed along by the flowing gas or other fluid, and can accurately detect defects so maintenance can be arranged.
ICI, Klea 134a ozone-benign refrigerant
Winner 1993
Klea 134a is an ozone-friendly substitute for chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which contribute to ozone depletion in the atmosphere. It provided a safe, energy-efficient and cost-effective alternative to CFCs and has been used since the 1990s in refrigeration and air conditioning. While Klea 134a is now being replaced by more modern refrigerants, its role in helping to protect the ozone layer shows the power of concerted global action to safeguard the environment.
Bombardier, Resin-infused advanced composite wing
Winner 2019
Bombardier’s innovative, resin-infused composite aircraft wing is approximately 10% lighter than a conventional metal wing, helping to reduce fuel burn in flight, as well as reducing CO2 and NOX emissions. The advanced wing, developed in Belfast, underpins the Airbus A220 and is the first certified commercial aircraft wing made using resin transfer infusion.
About the MacRobert Award
First presented in 1969, the MacRobert Award is unique in celebrating not only outstanding innovation but also tangible societal benefit and commercial success. Founded by the MacRobert Trust, the award is run by the Royal Academy of Engineering, supported by the Worshipful Company of Engineers.
The first award was made jointly for two iconic innovations: to Rolls-Royce for the Pegasus engine that powers the Harrier Jump Jet; and to Freeman, Fox and Partners for the aerodynamic deck design of the Severn Bridge. Subsequent winners have included the engineers behind advances such as catalytic converters, the roof of the Millennium Dome, intelligent prosthetic limbs and the Raspberry Pi microcomputer.
MacRobert Award winning innovations have changed the world.
