Innovation this week is a tough one. The UK sport scene has been buzzing of late, and with the Commonwealth games being held in Scotland, we will be the focus of British sport.

Innovations come in varied forms, but things have shifted away from better, faster, lighter or stronger equipment, back onto how the athlete preforms. With that in mind, there are very few differences between an athlete with a disability and those without. How they eat, how they train, how they think and move is now what makes athletes winners rather than the gear they use which has in recent years become heavily regulated. There is even an entire science developing around the subject of physical performance.

So when we find something truly innovative to write about, it’s a fairly big deal. It is made even better when it is something for the average person to use. This is where the “sit skate” comes into its own. The design of this skating wheelchair looks vaguely similar to that of a skating sledge used in sledge hockey only it is slightly elevated and more refined.

Here is a quick run down of how Peter Jervis’ “sit skate” actually works.

“…the special ice skate moves with the upper body strength of the user, quite similar to forward and downward pushing motion of a manual wheelchair. Users may steer the skate by either individual arm movement or by leaning the chair, transferring the motion to the lower oar like arms that turn and propel the chair.”

The idea of bringing skating to those with a disability opens up a whole new field of enjoyment for those who would not normally be able to experience the grace and agility of the sport.

The design itself is still in its infancy and as yet does not have a price tag to it. These products (if the Mountain Trike is anything to go by) usually cost a few thousand pounds, so this may very well limit its market to those who can afford it. All technology, as it develops, tends to come down in price and become more accessible to others. The only tiny catch I see with this is how does one get it to the ice rink in the first place? These products would be a very good solution to a rink owner who wants to expand their market rather than individual users.

As someone with an engineering background I can safely say, to use engineering jargon, this looks “really, really cool!”. I mean... just look at it! It looks like something out of an Ian Fleming novel! If it is to work however it needs the backing of others who might actually want to use it.

Does this look like something worth giving a try? Would you be interested in one or do you see a flaw with this straight away? Either way we want to know about it. Tell us and everyone else what you think.

Click here to see Peter’s site and ideas.