AN ENGINEER who devoted a 40-year career to improving the lives of young people with complex disabilities has won two international awards.

Dr Martin Langner, resident engineer at Chailey Heritage Foundation, has been working on new ways to give young people greater autonomy and independence when using powered wheelchairs.

He and the team from the University of Portsmouth have won two prestigious Engineering and Technology Innovation Awards (E&T).

There were almost 70 finalists from across the world, with entries featuring robotic hands and non-invasive skin cancer detection.

The awards recognise the engineers and scientists producing innovative and creative solutions that improve lives and have a potential global benefit.

Dr Langner said: "I am absolutely thrilled to have won these awards. I love working with the children at Chailey Heritage and I feel privileged to know them and play a part in their lives.

The Argus: Dr Martin LangnerDr Martin Langner

"I hope this award will help to continue progress to improve the lives of young people with disabilities."

As a research fellow at the University of Portsmouth, Dr Langner has been collaborating with fellow engineers and scientists to develop digital systems that allow young people with the most complex physical disabilities to navigate their environment as independently as possible.

The Chailey Heritage Foundation is a charity providing education, care and transition services to children and young adults with complex physical disabilities.

Their mission is to give disabled children and young adults every opportunity to pursue their fullest potential.

He has been working at the charity since the early 1980s and has developed a range of wheelchair guidance methods, including control systems, that rely on head and eye movements to electronic bumpers that steer users away from obstacles.

The Argus: Their mission is to give disabled children and young adults every opportunity to pursue their fullest potentialTheir mission is to give disabled children and young adults every opportunity to pursue their fullest potential

Dr Langner added: "Working with the young people at Chailey Heritage has taught me so much about human determination to succeed.

"I have been humbled many times and their courage has encouraged me to come up with more innovative solutions to give them more independence.

“Our latest work with new intelligent digital systems gives young people a real sense of ownership. They choose the direction of travel rather than the technology taking over.”

The winners of the 2020 E&T Innovation Awards were announced on 19 November in a virtual ceremony.