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Sophie Morgan, 32, was paralyzed (T5 complete) at the age of 18 following a car crash. Best known for her role as a presenter for Great Britain’s Channel 4 where she hosted coverage of the Rio 2016 Paralympics Games, she also presents property series, current affairs programs and documentaries.
Voted one of the top 100 most influential people with a disability two years running by the Shaw Trust, Sophie is now an ambassador for the Mobility Unlimited Challenge.
We talked to Sophie about what the Challenge means to her, why she’s excited to support the project, and what developments in smart mobility she’d like to see.
Why is the Mobility Unlimited Challenge important to you?
The Mobility Unlimited Challenge is important because innovation in this area is very restricted by regulations. Unsurprisingly, there’s a lot of health and safety rules when it comes to helping people with lower-limb paralysis to mobilize but these constraints are restricting our quality of life. The Mobility Unlimited Challenge can help to tackle this by giving people the opportunity to create devices they may not have previously imagined they could. They’re offering additional support in the form of the Discovery Awards too, which provide seed funding of $50,000 to teams who might lack the resources to enter the challenge. This challenge really is open to everyone, everywhere.
What are the current problems with mobility devices?
At the moment, if you have lower-limb paralysis, you mobilise with a wheelchair - and that isn’t necessarily the best way for people like me to be able to get around.
While being in a wheelchair might help us get around efficiently, sitting so much can incur health complications such as pressure sores, osteoporosis or other problems. The reality is, there are some fantastic wheelchairs being designed but they have their limitations. Why is it that just because we lose the ability to move our legs, we then have to sit down to get around? Surely it’s time to start thinking about future solutions.
What would your dream solution be?
When I was paralyzed 15 years ago, I was told that I’d walk again in my lifetime and I presumed that science would get me there. To be honest I didn't really give it much thought after that, and have got on with my life and lived it to the full. Over the years though, I have come to learn that life with spinal cord injury is made better by the technology that is created to meet our needs. Life changing devices such as a Batec, which makes a chair into a scooter, or a sit ski which enables me to fling myself down a mountain - these are examples of how design can enable someone to become less disabled. We are only as disabled as our environment makes us, and wheelchairs, no matter how sophisticated, just aren't capable of taking us wherever we may want to go nor looking after our bodies the way nature intended. And so now I look to technology to realize the dream that was promised to me all those years ago; to enable me to walk again.
My dream device would be a robotic exoskeleton, that I could wear underneath my clothes and I could control through thought. I’d be able to walk around amongst people and they’d never even know that I am paralyzed!
I look forward to the day that being paralyzed doesn't necessarily mean you need to be in wheelchair for the rest of your life and I can’t wait to see the solutions that people are going to create over the next three years.
For people looking to get involved, what would your message be?
Businesses and individuals should think outside of the box and get involved with the challenge. We want people to find opportunities to collaborate with others and work with people who can bring your vision to life. There is nothing better than people who have the problem, coming together with people who can create the solution. There is an incredible opportunity here to help change the lives of millions of people around the world.
