Rob Smith

Rob is a keen sportsman who was studying engineering in 1996 when a high-level spinal cord injury left him with partial paralysis in all four limbs. Rob found he was no longer able to use the gym, compete in sports or do outdoor pursuits. His poor hand function caused huge frustration for him – particularly his limited grip, which prevented him from lifting weights to improve strength for playing wheelchair rugby.

He found there was no equipment suitable for his mobility needs, so Rob set about creating some. Using his own skills as an engineer, Rob began designing mobility aids to help people with poor hand function to grip and hold.

Twenty-three years later Rob Smith’s Active Hands Company designs and manufactures thousands of gripping aids every year and has won multiple awards. The equipment supplies the NHS and people around the world. Active Hands was a 2016 finalist in Nesta’s Inclusive Technology Prize. In 2018, Active Hands was one of the winners of the Department of Trade and Industry’s Board of Trade award, recognising companies that champion innovation, diversity and inclusivity internationally, and which help to grow their local communities.

Rob’s mission is to enable people with hand function disabilities to take part in activities in a more active and inclusive way, with as much independence as possible. He explains: “Life doesn’t always go the way you expect it. That just means you might have to be awesome in a different way than you had planned.”

Rob has been selected to represent Great Britain in wheelchair rugby and more recently ParaAthletics, winning a silver medal in the 2014 IPC Athletics European Championships and Gold in the men’s T51/52 at the 2018 World Para Athletics Marathon World Cup. He’s currently working to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.