Ruth Amos

{{Short description|British entrepreneur and inventor of the StairSteady}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}

{{Use British English|date=April 2018}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Ruth Amos

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1989|12|13}}

| nationality = British

| occupation = Owner, StairSteady Ltd

| alma_mater = Eckington School

| website = {{URL|http://www.stairsteady.net}}

}}

Ruth Amos (born 13 December 1989) is a British entrepreneur and inventor of the StairSteady.

The StairSteady is an aid to enable people with limited mobility to use their stairs confidently and safely. Amos designed it as part of a GCSE resistant materials project as a response to her teacher’s challenge to design an aid for people with limited mobility to use their stairs. She was prompted to do this as the father of one of her teachers had recently had a stroke. Her product was launched in April 2008 at Naidex, a national healthcare show, and StairSteady ltd started trading September 2008.

Amos won the 2006 Young Engineer of the Year award in Britain with her idea.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7375486.stm|title=Young engineer launches stair aid|author=Geoff Adams-Spink|date=1 May 2008|accessdate=16 February 2011|publisher=BBC}} She was also picked as the youngest ever of Britain's "Heroines For Hard Times" 35 women under 35 by Management Today,{{cite news|url=http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/entrepreneur/article6590897.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090701104736/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/entrepreneur/article6590897.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 July 2009|title=Young, gifted and in the hot seat|author=Emma De Vita|date=28 June 2009|publisher=The Sunday Times|accessdate=16 February 2011|location=London}}{{cite web|url=http://www.greenbelt.org.uk/blog/2010/06/making-it-happen-ruth-amos/|title=Making It Happen: Ruth Amos|date=3 June 2010|author=Tom Davies|publisher=Greenbelt|accessdate=16 February 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318171509/http://www.greenbelt.org.uk/blog/2010/06/making-it-happen-ruth-amos/|archivedate=18 March 2012|df=dmy-all}}{{cite web|url=https://newatlas.com/stairsteady-mobility-aid/13420/#p105516|title=StairSteady gives a helping hand up stairs|publisher=Gizmag|date=24 November 2009 | first=Jude | last=Garvey |accessdate=23 April 2018}} Derbyshire Young Achiever 2006,{{Citation| date = 18 September 2007| title = Report of the Chief Executive| publisher = Derbyshire County Council| url = http://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/images/2007-09-18%20Young%20Achievers%20Award_tcm9-12288.pdf| accessdate = 16 February 2011| url-status = dead| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120320083025/http://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/images/2007-09-18%20Young%20Achievers%20Award_tcm9-12288.pdf| archivedate = 20 March 2012| df = dmy-all}} she was the first ever Women of the Future "YoungStar" award winner,{{cite web|url=http://www.stairsteady.net/about.html|title=Our Story|accessdate=16 February 2011}} and she was listed on the Yorkshire 42 under 42 in May 2010.{{cite web|url=http://www.insidermedia.com/event/yorkshire_42_under_42_dinner_2010/the_sponsors_winners/index.html|title=The Sponsors & Winners|publisher=Insider Media|accessdate=16 February 2011}} The StairSteady won the British Healthcare Trade Association product of the year in 2014 and Amos received the Electronics Weekly Bright Sparks Award in 2018.{{cite web | url=https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/ew-brightsparks/ew-brightsparks-2018-profile-ruth-amos-2018-04/ | title=EW BrightSparks 2018 profile: Ruth Amos | date=27 April 2018 }}

She co-founded the YouTube channel Kids Invent Stuff{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/kidsinventstuff|title=Kids Invent Stuff|website=YouTube}} with fellow inventor Shawn Brown. Kids Invent Stuff{{cite web| url = https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/creative-inventors-turning-childrens-drawings-21570666| title = Creative inventors are turning children's drawings into life-sized realities - Mirror Online| website = Daily Mirror| date = 7 March 2020}} was recognised as a channel on ‘The Rise’ by Youtube and Colin Furze.{{cite web | url=https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/12/04/youtube-uk-spotlights-up-and-comers-the-rise/ | title=YouTube U.K. Taps 10 Established Creators to Spotlight Up-And-Comers for 'The Rise' Campaign | date=4 December 2020 }}