Bridgnorth inventor's wheelchair treadmill gathering pace

Paul Cooksey, 49, developed a treadmill for wheelchairs, called the Invictus Active Trainer (IAT), which enables disabled people to use their wheelchair to build their upper body strength in their own home.

The IAT consists of a ramp and four rollers that sit underneath the wheelchair, each of which has different resistance levels that can be modified individually. The rollers also come with built-in sensors and can synchronise with any cycling app to measure speed, distance and calories.

The idea was born 18 months ago when Mr Cooksey was looking to get fit following a traumatic motorcycle accident in 2006 that left him paralysed from the chest down.

"I'd put a lot of weight on after my accident and realised the only way I could lose it was to exercise, but the only part of my body that now works is my arms so all I can really do is push my wheelchair," he said.

"So to improve my strength and general fitness, I had the idea of creating a treadmill for wheelchairs. I investigated technology in the cycle world and tailored that technology to suit the wheelchair.

"I built a prototype using wood in my garage and after using it for a while I could feel myself getting quicker and stronger.

"The great thing about the IAT is that it can be dismantled and reassembled without any tools. Each of the four rollers also operate independently – ideal for improving balance, particularly for sports like wheelchair basketball or tennis."

Former engineer Mr Cooksey's wheelchair tennis partner Scott Smith, who runs design and marketing agency 3S Projects in Oldbury in the West Midlands, also noticed a change in fitness during tennis practice which led to a discussion that resulted in a partnership between the two.

Since IAT went on sale 10 months ago, more than 50 models have been sold to users from the UK, Ireland, Germany, Portugal, Canada and USA.

The product has also been featured on Channel 4's Paralympic Superhumans Show and trialled by the University of Worcester's basketball team, as well as various nursing homes and specialist spinal units around the UK.

The product is now being sold and marketed through Scott's company 3S Projects, and manufactured in Droitwich.

Scott and Paul have been supported in their work by local accountancy firm Baldwins, which took over Turner Peachey in 2014, whose team has helped to provide tax relief for their research.

Dawn Owen, director at Baldwins in London Road in Shrewsbury, said: "This is a truly inspirational story for anybody out there that is looking to pursue a business idea. We see many business who are eligible for this tax relief not pursuing a claim as they feel that its onerous and time consuming for the company, I can assure you that this is not the case.

"Scott and Paul are still at the start of their journey and have some really exciting plans to develop their product over the coming months, and we look forward to helping the business grow."