For all children, regardless of their ability, exercise is necessary to maintain physical health. Cycling is a good form of exercise as it is fun and can be performed anywhere from country lanes to city parks. Cycling, skateboarding and micro-scooters also carry a whole culture of their own – one that is perceived to be desirable and fashionable by all children and teenagers.

Young people with limited mobility deserve pedal vehicles with the same level of design innovation and ‘street’ credibility as everyone else. But unfortunately many trikes for kids without lower body strength are contraptions that either shout ‘special needs’ and stigmatise their users or are uncomfortable and too inhibiting to use.

The challenge is to explore ways in which the same vehicle can be used by children of all abilities by designing it in such a way that it can be readily customised to be hand-driven or pedal powered. Can the visual aesthetic of contemporary, inspiring machines from the extreme sports culture be incorporated successfully into the design?