A disabled filmmaker and photographer who patented the world’s first wheelchair camera system has been included in this year’s BAFTA Breakthrough cohort, and his inclusion could help bring his innovative mobile video rig to the big screen.
Chris Lynch, a multi-award-winning TV producer and filmmaker, was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, more commonly known as brittle bone disease, and has been a wheelchair user for over 40 years.
In 2020, he began to develop CAERUS, the world’s first wheelchair-integrated professional camera system, eventually patenting the design in 2025.
Now, the filmmaker and entrepreneur hopes that his inclusion in this year’s Breakthrough cohort – an initiative supporting creative talent and career development in film, games, and television – will spread the word about CAERUS to major movie studios and streaming services connected with BAFTA, including Netflix, who are supporting the UK cohort.
"I just really want to get in front of them (movie producers) with the camera system and show them what's possible,” said Lynch.
CAERUS is made up of a self-balancing Genny wheelchair, offering 360-degree rotation and speeds of up to 12.5 mph (20 km/h), fitted with a cinema-grade camera setup. It's compatible with professional filmmaking cameras from brands such as RED and Sony via a specialized side mount and gimbal/Steadicam system.
“[With CAERUS,] you can do these beautiful orbiting shots, you can track people running, you can track cars at slow speed,” said Lynch.
Although an established commercial and TV producer running the production company, Diverse Made Media, Lynch explained that his disability has always made developing relationships in feature filmmaking difficult.
However, his vision for CAERUS is for it to be seen as much more than what he called a “niche disability product,” and the entrepreneur has already demonstrated the system to Warner Bros., Panavision, and Sky Studios.
"The solutions that I'm presenting impact everyone. They have a creative benefit for the sector, but they benefit everyone."
In fact, Lynch has already been using CAERUS on TV productions. Last year, the system was used in the making of the 2025 BBC documentary In The Driving Seat, which Lynch presented and which gained him Breakthrough recognition from BAFTA.
Above: Lynch also helped film episodes of this year's Antiques Roadshow using CAERUS
Despite its commercial launch in September last year, CAERUS remains pre-revenue and is seeking investment to scale the technology. Lynch hopes that his inclusion in BAFTA’s Breakthrough cohort will “translate into actual sales” and widen access to filmmaking for disabled camera operators.
You might also like…
Here's our expert pick of the best cameras for video as well as our take on the best cameras for filmmaking.
