Caption: Shanelle Tennekoon receiving the Research & Development Merit award for SmartWheel at the 2026 INCITE Awards.
In an extraordinary demonstration of technological ingenuity and humanitarian engineering, Sri Lankan researcher Shanelle Tennekoon has claimed two prestigious accolades at Australia’s 35th WAITTA INCITE Tech Awards.
Held on the 17th of July, the annual ceremony organised by the Western Australian Information Technology and Telecommunications Alliance (WAITTA), a foundational institution in the Australian technology sector since 1991, celebrated ground-breaking advancements across telecommunications, digital innovation, and scientific research. Ms Tennekoon’s triumph with her pioneering project, SmartWheel, marks a significant milestone not only for her academic career but also for the wider Global Sri Lankan community, highlighting the profound intellectual contributions made by Sri Lankan expatriates on the international stage.
The awards received by Ms Tennekoon span two highly competitive and socially impactful categories: Research & Development Solution of the Year and Diversity & Digital Inclusion Solution of the Year. Such dual recognition underscores the multifaceted brilliance of SmartWheel, a system that successfully bridges rigorous academic research with tangible, real-world accessibility solutions. By addressing critical gaps in modern assistive technology, Ms Tennekoon has positioned herself among Australia’s most promising innovators while exemplifying the excellence, resilience, and service-oriented values deeply ingrained in the Sri Lankan academic ethos.
The Genesis of SmartWheel: Addressing Mobility Challenges
To fully appreciate the significance of Ms Tennekoon’s recent accolades, one must examine the complex physical and navigational barriers traditionally faced by individuals with severe mobility impairments. Powered wheelchairs have long served as essential instruments for independence, granting users freedom of movement within urban, domestic, and institutional environments. However, conventional wheelchair operation often demands precise motor control, intense spatial awareness, and uninterrupted concentration, requirements that present insurmountable hurdles for individuals managing multiple disabilities, particularly those affecting both motor functions and sensory perception, such as low vision.
Recognising these systemic limitations, Ms Tennekoon dedicated her doctoral research at Curtin University’s School of Electrical Engineering, Computing and Mathematical Sciences to conceptualising an intelligent, semi-autonomous guidance system. The resulting innovation, SmartWheel, integrates advanced artificial intelligence, machine learning algorithms, and computer vision to transform standard powered wheelchairs into responsive, environment-aware mobility devices. Through the implementation of lightweight context-aware algorithms operating via standard RGB cameras, the system achieves remarkable accuracy, surpassing 95% detection precision in complex indoor environments, while operating efficiently enough for real-time computational deployment.
The practical implications of this technology are profound. For instance, navigating narrow corridors, approaching doorways, and avoiding unexpected indoor obstacles are tasks that frequently induce cognitive fatigue and collision risks for users with multifaceted disabilities. SmartWheel mitigates these dangers by providing intelligent, real-time navigational cues and automated trajectory adjustments, effectively reducing user stress and dramatically enhancing independent daily living. It is this seamless synthesis of cutting-edge artificial intelligence and compassionate user-centred design that captured the attention of the WAITTA INCITE judges, earning unanimous praise across both research and social inclusion domains.
Celebrating Sri Lankan Excellence on the Global Stage
The achievements of Sri Lankan expatriates in foreign academic and professional landscapes serve as a powerful testament to the rigorous educational foundations established in Sri Lanka and the boundless potential unleashed when talent encounters opportunity abroad. Ms Tennekoon’s success at the 35th INCITE Awards resonates deeply across the global Sri Lankan community, inspiring a new generation of scientists, engineers, and researchers to pursue ambitious, socially transformative projects.
In her post-award reflections, Ms Tennekoon articulated the profound honour of receiving national-level recognition from one of Australia’s most enduring technology alliances. She expressed a steadfast aspiration that her journey will encourage fellow young Sri Lankans to push past conventional disciplinary boundaries, embrace complex technical challenges, and champion innovations designed to uplift vulnerable communities. This sentiment aligns seamlessly with the core mission of eLanka: to connect, celebrate, and amplify positive narratives of Sri Lankans worldwide who enrich their host societies while maintaining an unwavering dedication to human progress.
Furthermore, academic mentorship played a pivotal role in this success story. Working within a vibrant research ecosystem at Curtin University, Ms Tennekoon’s collaborative endeavours mirror the broader institutional achievements of the university’s engineering faculty, symbolised notably by her supervisor, Professor Iain Murray, who was similarly honored during the same awards cycle. Such synergies highlight how collaborative academic environments foster groundbreaking technological outputs that benefit local and international communities alike.
The Broader Implications for Assistive Technology and Inclusion
As global populations age and the prevalence of diverse functional impairments receives overdue societal attention, the demand for intelligent, scalable assistive technologies has never been more urgent. Traditional healthcare engineering has often operated within rigid silos, separating high-end robotic research from accessible, everyday consumer devices. SmartWheel disrupts this dichotomy by offering a cost-effective, adaptable retrofit solution that can be integrated into existing mobility infrastructure without requiring prohibitive hardware overhauls.
Winning the Diversity & Digital Inclusion Solution of the Year award is a validation of the ethical imperative underpinning modern engineering. True innovation is measured not merely by computational speed or algorithmic complexity, but by its capacity to democratise access, restore dignity, and foster equitable societal participation. By empowering individuals with multiple disabilities to navigate their physical surroundings with confidence and autonomy, Ms Tennekoon’s research directly addresses the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals concerning reduced inequalities and sustainable inclusive communities.
For businesses, technology incubators, and community leaders observing these developments, SmartWheel serves as a compelling reminder of the commercial and social viability of inclusive design. Investing in research and development that prioritises accessibility yields profound dividends, creating markets that are both economically sustainable and socially conscientious.
Looking Forward: Future Horizons for SmartWheel
Following this major triumph at the WAITTA INCITE Tech Awards, the trajectory for SmartWheel points toward expanded field testing, collaborative healthcare partnerships, and commercialisation pathways. As artificial intelligence continues to mature, future iterations of the technology promise even greater environmental adaptability, potentially integrating edge-computing hardware and multi-modal sensory feedback to support outdoor navigation as well.
The global Sri Lankan community watches with immense pride as Shanelle Tennekoon transitions from doctoral research to real-world deployment. Her accomplishments reinforce the enduring truth that dedication, intellect, and empathy can coalesce to solve some of society’s most intractable challenges. Through platforms like eLanka, we remain committed to following such inspiring journeys, ensuring that the remarkable milestones achieved by Sri Lankan expatriates are celebrated and preserved for future generations.
Source: THE INCITE AWARDS (https://www.inciteawards.org.au/about-the-incite-awards/2026-winners/)
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