Inventing gadgets

AT first glance, two engineers and a doctor born decades apart would not appear to have much in common.
But make no mistake, together Rodney Wild, John Lambert and Dr Ian Wilkinson might one day be responsible for an Oldham re-brand: the former industrial powerhouse turned hotbed of invention. It’s certainly got a ring to it.

In the great Victorian era they might have been eccentric scientists shuffling around bubbling pots of various homemade concoctions, but in 2008, they cut their inventors’ teeth in the more traditional settings of the doctor’s surgery and the engineering plant.

Mr Wild (69) and Mr Lambert (76), who worked together as engineers in Oldham, lend their technical expertise while Dr Wilkinson (54), Rodney’s GP, rigorously road tests the health and safety aspects.

Mr Lambert has been conjuring up innovative creations for 25 years. A number of his products, including patient-lifting equipment for hydraulic lifts, are used by the ambulance service.

Their productivity has continued to bubble away nicely since they started sharing inspiration five years ago and together they have a clutch of exciting products they are ready to reveal to the world.

Their latest product, known as Clear Path, is essentially a walking stick with a handy built-in dog mess neutraliser.

Dr Wilkinson said: “Once you have used a poop scoop, there is still some pesky mess left behind, which people tend to stand in and walk around the house and that gets caught on pram wheels.

“Dog mess also contains a dangerous parasite which can lead to blindness. Our walking stick has a scraper at the bottom, which dissipates the mess. It also contains a tiny chamber which releases a sterilising spray to neutralise the dangerous chemicals.

“There are so many dog owners in the UK, we believe there is real market for this product.”

Another little gem in their collection is the Mini-tred, a portable leg exerciser, which could be just the ticket for people recovering from leg ulcer surgery.

“Tests have shown that using the Mini-tred cuts down on recovery time after patients have had surgery for leg ulcers, by increasing venous flow by around 50 per cent.” said the GP.

“A local surgeon has already expressed an interest in using them in hospitals. It is also small and light enough to be taken on to planes, so passengers can exercise their legs and help prevent deep vein thrombosis.”

The imaginative trio can also help you transform the potentially hazardous home and garden areas from possible accident hotspots to safe havens, with their Butt-safe and Pluglock inventions.

The Butt-safe is a water butt cover, which puts the brakes on curious children slipping under the water and the pluglock prevents children electrocuting themselves by covering plug sockets with a key operated lock.

Mr Wild said: “All our products are complete one offs. They have all been patented by the intellectual property office, so no-one else can reproduce them.”

Their passion for creating something new is cemented by the fact they have ploughed thousands of pounds of their own money into their designs.

“We have found a factory in China — now we just need to find a distributor here who can sell them,” added Mr Wild.

Any business which may be interested should call Mr Wild on 07801-699 828 or email r.wild1@sky.com