Filipino engineer wins £30,000 award for sensor that detects hidden earthquake damage in buildings

Filipino engineer wins £30,000 award for sensor detecting hidden earthquake damage in buildings. A Filipino structural engineer who developed a sensor to detect hidden damage in buildings after earthquakes has won the 2026 James Dyson Award's Global Sustainability prize. Aldrei Ong, a graduate of De La Salle University in the Philippines, received the recognition for his invention, Sentinel, which could help engineers identify buildings at risk of collapse. The award, announced on Wednesday, comes with £30,000 to support further development of the technology.According to the Dyson's website, Sentinel is designed to address a problem that often arises after earthquakes. Although a building may appear safe from the outside, its concrete structures can have cracks or internal damage that are difficult to detect. Such damage can make it dangerous for people to continue using the building.Determining whether these structures are safe usually requires visual inspections and specialist testing. The process becomes particularly difficult after a major earthquake, when several buildings may need to be checked at the same time. These assessments can take considerable time and money, potentia...