MacRobert Award finalists revealed

The three are OptaSense, which offers technology that can turn fibre-optic cable into a microphone; Cobalt Light Systems, which has pioneered a means of analysing the composition of chemicals sealed within any non-metallic container without opening it, and Rolls-Royce, which has developed the world's first short take-off and vertical landing system capable of powering a supersonic aircraft. The winner of the award which includes a gold medal, a £50,000 cash prize will be announced on 2 July 2014 at the Academy's Awards Dinner at the Royal Opera House in London. John Robinson, chair of the MacRobert Award judging panel, said: "Each of this year's finalists has demonstrated excellent innovation and technical expertise but, perhaps more importantly, the significance of how this is being applied for the benefit of society is exceptional. "These three UK organisations, each of a different size and stage of business development, truly represent the breadth of the UK's engineering capability and its global importance. They are first-rate examples of the economic importance of the nation's engineering sector." First presented in 1969, the MacRobert Award was founded by the MacRobert Trusts, the Award is now presented by the RAE.