Disability-friendly Unicycle invented

A NEW device designed to help people who have difficulty walking has been unveiled.

Picture: Peter Jolly

Called the Velofeet, it is effectively a unicycle with a back-support and no pedals.

But the device is not only for people who have mobility problems, claimed the inventor, although that will be one of the first uses it is put to.

“We’ll have a sports version as well”, said the Inverness-based designer, retired physicist Manuel Alvarez-Icaza.

“I have applied for a patent and it’s a world-first. It’s a bit like a unicycle but it is more efficient. It’s simplicity itself and you build up momentum very quickly.

“You just lean to change direction and to stop you lean back on the seat and the brakes come on. I can see it being ideal for use in cities and towns.”