Student inventors take on blindness, dialysis and silent speech — £30,000 (about $41,000) awaits

The James Dyson Award has named its 2026 global Top 20, chosen by Dyson engineers from student inventions worldwide: a wristband that turns sign language into speech, an AI cane that helps blind people find entrances and landmarks, and a lower-cost machine that automates home dialysis, among others. Each finalist now faces founder James Dyson's final judging, with £30,000 (about $41,000) to help the winners build their ideas for real.

SDG 9 · Industry, innovation and infrastructure — Mechanism: tech innovation