700573Upright, stylish mobility scooterClosedGRD Proof of MarketInnovate UKThere are 300-350,000 mobility scooter users in the UK. This represents annual sales in the order of £200M, predicted to be growing at 5-10% annually. A significant proportion of users are mobility-impaired, as opposed to completely disabled. For such individuals, current mobility scooters have a significant limitation; they offer a relatively low seat position. This makes it difficult for users to get into or out of their scooter and puts them at a physically lower level than standees in social situations. It is also difficult to reach for items, e.g. from an upper shelf in supermarkets. Finally, extended periods of sitting can put users at risk of pressure sores and urinary tract infections. Several USA-based firms offer upright wheelchairs. Severely disabled patients purchase these, generally through health insurance schemes. They typically cost over £10,000. This is unaffordable for patients with mobility impairment, but who do not qualify for assistance to purchase mobility aids. If such patients wish to purchase a mobility aid, they must finance it themselves. They typically opt for basic but robust designs, for which RRPs start as low as £389. Such scooters are almost all of the low-seated type with accompanying drawbacks. We intend to show in this project that we can offer an upright mobility scooter at a target price of £1,000-2,000. It will be capable of storage and transport in a car boot. From personal experience, we are confident of an unmet market need. We will refine estimates from the Research Institute for Consumer Affairs (RICA) into a quantified market size for our product; a market we are confident is growing with an ageing population. We will identify technical challenges that we will solve in the next stage of development. We will begin recruitment of new staff and subcontractors to use for our next stage of R&D.