AN INVENTOR is hoping he can breathe fresh air into many aspects of modern life.

Rick Camilleri, a former telecommunications designer from West Kirby, believes his new creation can replace carbon dioxide cylinders.

They are commonly associated with making bubbles in soda siphons.

But similar devices are used in asthma inhalers, life jackets, air rifles and even guidance systems in ballistic missiles.

Mr Camilleri, 43, believes his invention will do away with the wastefulness of the current CO2 cylinders, which are often used once and then discarded.

His design would also mean less carbon dioxide escaping into the atmosphere and is, therefore, potentially more environmentally friendly.

He plans to use normal fresh air which is compressed to an incredibly high pressure to achieve the same energy as that released in existing CO2 cylinders.

His design has impressed the Department of Trade and Industry which has given him a £20,000 grant to research and develop the device further.

The grant is to develop the compressed air system for air pistols, but many more uses for the device have come to light since work began on its development.

Mr Camilleri said: "Initially we thought we had a good idea how the application could be used, but we have had people come to us about other possible uses.

"We have had at least 15 applications, ranging from air pistols and rifles to asthmatic inhalers, life jackets and inflatable buildings. Even in the leisure market, it's possible to use the application to erect inflatable tents. It really is as big as your imagination."

Mr Camilleri, who runs his company, Omniq Ltd, with assistant Dave Broome and his wife, Toni, have discovered vending machines use CO2 cartridges to power pneumatics and hope to come up with an alternative.

A life-long inventor and creator, Mr Camilleri said that it was important to ensure that the company remained locally-based.

"We're really keen to have as much of our work done in the Wirral and Liverpool areas. We are definitely not developing something and then passing it over to be processed in China or somewhere," he said.

"I have had ideas all my life, and my wife describes me as a closet inventor. But this is the first time I have got round to doing something about it.

"It's often the case that you see something and think 'that would be a good idea'. But you don't do anything and then a few years later you notice someone has actually followed it through - and then you kick yourself.

The company's website is www.pnumatica.com