Ruth Amos is a mom, engineer, and inventor in her early 30s, living in England. She had wanted to be a lawyer until her design commission at school, which was inspired by a child’s toy, to create her “all mechanical” specialist handrail.
“It works using friction and gravity,” Ms. Amos told The Epoch Times. “It’s a simple locking mechanism. ... You can push the bar in front of you, then you can put your weight on it, lock it in place, and you’re able to climb up and down the stairs, knowing that it’s supporting your way.”
The StairSteady is designed to blend in with any existing handrail and falls away neatly when not in use.
“I thought I should probably have a go bringing it to market, so I spent a few years while I was doing my A-levels doing research and development,” Ms. Amos said. “I had never run a business before, so it took quite a while to work out how you do that.”
Starting with just 1,200 pounds (approx. US$1,525) and working from her parent’s dining room table, Ms. Amos would accept 10 orders at a time, make them, and sell them. Slowly, as word got out, productivity increased and the teen needed help since the school didn’t have the equipment to make it.
“I was very grateful to be introduced to a local manufacturing company who ... allowed me access to their tools and their factory floor,” she said, adding that the StairSteady has been through “quite a few iterations” over the years to account for materials and manufacturing costs, but looks very similar to the original prototype.
“This isn’t a box product, it’s a product that needs some sort of survey and installation, so there are more hurdles than just getting a load made, putting them in some boxes, and finding someone to sell it,” Ms. Amos said. “A lot of our customers are vulnerable customers, so it’s making sure that they’re looked after in that journey, as well.”
StairSteady has a variety of users including children struggling with immobility, bariatric users over 350 pounds (159 kilograms), and older people who feel unsteady on their feet. Response to the product has been “really, really positive,” and the most rewarding thing of all for the inventor is seeing how her product is changing lives.
“I think when I was 15, 16, thinking about the idea, I was very naive about some of the challenges that people face in their everyday lives,” she said. “I suppose that’s what’s so joyous about it, is the fact that people are keeping healthier and safer. ... For some people, it’s a choice of, do they sell their home and move, or do they have StairSteady and stay in their home for longer?”
Ms. Amos said they’re often sent videos of children using stairs for the first time with the product, and this makes them realize all the things that they take for granted.
In the UK, Ms. Amos works with occupational therapists and mobility dealers and is currently working on a UK Research and Innovation-funded project to help spread the word to the general public and the healthcare system about the StairSteady. The product is already sold across the UK and Europe and is licensed in Canada, America, and Australia.
Ms. Amos has won myriad awards for her invention, including Young Engineer for Britain in 2006, Women of Achievement by Women of the Year Foundation in 2010, BHTA Product of the Year in 2014, and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Alastair Graham-Bryce Award in 2021.
