A teenager from a small village in Wales approached engineering students Andrew Morgan and Kit Hughes with a problem. He had cerebral palsy, and his old-fashioned walker didn’t let him get around easily. So the friends at the University of Sheffield came up with a prototype for the “world’s first truly off-road posterior walking aid.”
“We want all kids to be able to play football on the field with their mates,” Morgan says.
Their company Exyo (short for “express yourself”) creates a new style of walker that’s “redesigned from the ground up.” The curved frame was designed with a windsurfer in mind. The 16-inch wheels are similar to those on BMX bikes. The suspension system is so innovative they’ve applied for a patent.
“We had to make it look as cool as possible,” says Morgan. “We thought if we were going to make this, it should look like something we’d want to use, not something looks like it’s used in hospital.”
After four prototypes, they are ready to roll. And winning $18,000 at the London Creator Awards—along with 10 other competitions—means they soon will be in production.
