The company began life in 2014 when company founder David Rajan failed to find a wheelchair that suited the needs of his son Alfie, who has cerebral palsy. ​David thought that existing electric wheelchairs were ugly, bulky and used outdated technology. So he decided to bring to market a personal electric vehicle which would empower individuals with impaired mobility and change attitudes towards them. 

A self-balancing vehicle, The Centaur, as the company’s first product will be known, has a turning circle one third the size of alternative solutions and has been designed to enable unprecedented manoeuvrability in confined spaces. The device also has drop arms, to make the experience of sitting at tables much more comfortable, be it at home, at the restaurant or at the office.  

A device that has been built around the needs of its users, the Centaur will be able to navigate busy pavements, reach high objects on shelves, make crowded pubs easier to negotiate, opening up new opportunities and broadening social horizons. 

It also offers a timely solution for health care providers looking to limit infection through automation in the wake of Covid-19. Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, awarded Centaur Robotics a grant of £50,000 in May in recognition of the vehicle's future role in reducing exposure to viruses in care homes and hospitals.

By 2024, the global market for powered electric vehicles will be worth £7.5 billion, the result of an ageing population with a demand for independent living and the means to pay for it. Led by an incredibly experienced team of technology executives, engineers and designers from the likes of Oracle and Ford, Centaur Robotics is looking to raise a minimum of £600,000 on Crowdcube, the UK’s largest equity crowdfunding platform, to begin full production by the end of the year and has already been backed by a number of HNWIs and angel investors in the technology sector, many of whom are investing again in this round. 

Managing director Chris Hay, said: “Our early investors got involved because they liked the concept and wanted to help the less mobile. They had a personal reason to see us succeed.  

“But we’re now at the stage where people are putting in money because it’s commercially viable. We’re also really pleased to have won this grant – it’s a vote of confidence in the Centaur from the government.” 

Centaur Robotics has developed hardware and software, built working prototypes and full scale models and secured IP and trademarks in all the relevant markets. 

Advanced data capture technology will allow health monitoring on the move, help with navigation, and gather information for planners seeking to improve the environment for the less mobile.

Sales will initially focus on individual consumers, but business to business and the mobility as a service sector where there are a high number of assisted journeys, are important revenue streams.  

The Centaur will become a major labour-saving device where there is a scarcity of low-skilled workers to act as porters in major transport hubs such as airports. 

Centaur will also limit disease transmission in hospitals and care homes by reducing time helping people in and out of wheelchairs and moving them around.