No self-respecting techie would ever be seen dead in a gym. If you want to get fit, just put down the doughnut and go for a walk. However for those of you who do submit to treadmill workouts but don't want to miss a minute's coding time, this might interest you.

Brainy old Reg friend Bill Softky has come up with an ingenious low-tech contraption for people who want to use a conventional laptop while at the gym. The CardioDesk cracks the problem of providing a stable surface, fits most treadmills and folds away to the size of a book- it's about an inch thick.

The prototype, which you can see here, is hardwood, but with a bit of interest (and a bit of investment) we should see a much cheaper carbon fibre version to go into production.

He admits it's "an unusual solution to a nearly unknown problem", but some of the most successful inventions are just that.

Jolly clever: Bill Softky's CardioDesk

Neuroscientist Bill first came to our attention after he was honoured by Microsoft, despite never having worked for The Beast. He subsequently worked for Jeff Hawkins at his Redwood Neuroscience Institute.

We happy to do what we can to help bring clever low-tech mechanical design to market; your reporter is the proud owner of the amazing non-electrical Presso. Anyone interested should pledge their interest at Kickstarter toot-sweet. ®