THIS time last year Irish children began to appear on the streets not walking or skating but gliding on Heelys, shoes with wheels in the heels. By Christmas, such was the demand for Heelys, that many shops had sold out.

Invented in 2000 by American psychologist Roger Adams, the shoes are sold in more than 30 countries. The company employs 700 people and recorded sales of more than $32m (€24.9m) last year.

It is a success Michael Killian would like to emulate. The Dublin-based engineer is the inventor of the Sideways Bike, a bicycle that has separate controls for the front and back wheels, allowing the rider to slide and drift with a movement similar to that of a snowboard.

Like Heelys, skateboards and snowboards, the product is aimed squarely at the youth market.

Although the prototype has won several awards at international invention shows in Switzerland and Britain, getting the bike into commercial production is proving an uphill ride.

“People generally like the idea but it’s very hard to get the attention of the bike-building establishment,” said Killian, who travels to Britain this week to feature on a Sky television programme called the Next Big Idea.

“I could have sold 100 Sideways Bikes already,” said Killian. “There has been quite a buzz about them on the internet and I’ve had e-mail requests for them from around the world, but I just can’t afford to build them.”

To date, the project has cost him €20,000 in cash and a lot of time. He has also decided to pursue commercialisation of his invention on a full-time basis. “It’s a labour of love,” he said.

His decision to so devote himself makes sense to Nicola Rathbone, managing director of InventNet Ireland (www.inventnetireland.com), a not-for-profit organisation that provides expertise and guidance to inventors.

“To succeed the inventor has to be prepared to get their product to market by themselves,” she said. “To do that, they have to consider it just as if they were starting a business.”

An inventor herself, of a childproof container that now requires financial backing if it is to go into production, Rathbone has direct experience of the difficulties involved in commercialising otherwise great ideas.

There is, however, an established path which, if followed, can facilitate success. Once you have had your brainwave, the first step is to develop a prototype. “Before you can talk about licensing it has to be reasonably finished,” said Rathbone. “It’s no good expecting people to imagine it.”

Independent tests must be carried out so that any product claims you make for it are verified, typically by a university or an institute of technology. “You have to be able to provide your proofs,” said Rathbone.