Award-winning designer Yusuf Muhammad, who we featured in our Born to Engineer video series last year, and the team from BBC Two’s ‘Big Life Fix‘ have created a custom-made bike for a teenager with no hands or feet that allowed him to ride a Bike for the first time
Oscar has a rare genetic condition called Moebius syndrome, which meant he was born with no hands or feet. His Mum, Lisa Johnson, explained that “when he started secondary school, a lot of his friends were riding their bikes to school and he wasn’t able to do that, which really got us down. […] it’s completely normal for kids to not be completely thoughtful, so they’d just ride off and leave him. We weren’t upset or angry with them, but we were feeling for Oscar. Big Life Fix got in touch with Reach, a charity for kids with upper limb difference, and they posted an advert on social media asking if there was anything the programme could help with. My husband Chris got in touch with them and said: ‘How about this for an idea?'”
Oscar’s features in the second episode of Big Life Fix. The series, which is hosted by Simon Reeves, sees leading engineers, designers and computer programmers come up with inventions to help people.
Yusuf Muhammad and his team were able to model the new Bike on a BMX, allowing it to look very similar to a standard bike. However, it was designed with handlebars and brakes that could be operated without the use of hands. The team did this by reversing the brake position so that it could be activated by pushing the brake lever rather than pulling.
Yusuf was able to produce two different bikes for Oscar. A mountain bike suitable for hill cycling, and a BMX for trips to the park with his friends.
Find Out More about ‘Big Life Fix’ on the BBC. The Big Life Fix will be shown on BBC every Wednesday at 9pm. The episode featuring Oscar will air on 14/12/2016 and be available on iPlayer after that.
Recap – Watch Our Born to Engineer Video Featuring Engineer And Designer Yusuf Muhammad
Yusuf Muhammad revolutionary new household fire-safety device extinguishes fires fast and aims to save lives
Deep in the belly of London’s HMS President, Design Engineer Yusuf Muhammad is working on a revolutionary new household fire-safety device. Incorporating the techniques of professional firefighters into everyday kitchen plumbing, his device extinguishes fires fast and aims to save lives.
