A PIONEERING wheelchair which could revolutionise the lives of thousands of spinal injury sufferers is being tested and assessed by boffins at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH), in Stanmore.

The "walking wheelchair", called an iBOT, is the first of its kind to allow users to climb stairs and kerbs, raise themselves up to eye level and navigate uneven terrain.

Keith Pritchard, 48, of Notting Hill, was one of the first people in the country to use the four-wheel machine after undergoing assessment at the ASPIRE Centre for Disability Sciences (ACDS), based at the RNOH in Wood Lane.

ACDS is working with Independence Technology, the chair's manufacturers, to assess and train users and analyise whether the iBOT makes a difference to their quality of life.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) sufferer Keith, who got his iBOT in January, is in no doubt about the wheelchair's value. He said: "I can now go shopping without getting someone to help me reach the top shelf.

"When I socialise with friends, I can raise myself to their eye level and chat face to face. It also means I can get to the bar and buy a round of drinks. I feel totally liberated."

The iBOT's four wheels rotate up and over one another to negotiate steps while users lean backwards and forwards to direct the chair.

Professor Martin Ferguson-Pell, who heads the ACDS team, said: "The iBOT technology is a real breakthrough. It gives people the opportunity, for the first time, to do many of the simple tasks that we all take for granted.

"Although the wheelchair is not available at present with Government funding, we are collecting evidence to determine how much difference an iBOT can make to wheelchair users-so that a strong and objective case can be made."

The wheelchair could save the state millions by helping people back to work and reducing the length of hospital stays, as well as potential savings on adaptations in the home.

The RNOH is a world leader in the treatment of spinal injuries and one of only two sites able to assess and train customers using the new system. The iBOT costs £21,500.