Thanks to a high school robotics team, a tiny puppy named Kanga-Roo who lost her front two legs at birth is walking on her own.
The tiny pup, called “Roo” for short, first made news when she was dropped off at the Heart of Louisiana Humane Society in late 2023. Without her front paws, she had to adapt to hopping on her hind legs for mobility. So the Steel Eagles Robotics Team at Holy Savior Menard Central High School in Louisianna put their minds to work and began building a prototype of a wheelchair that gives Roo two wheels in place of her front legs.
The team fitted Roo with her first wheelchair in October of last year using a 3D printer. The puppy had some hiccups while learning how to walk in the new setup, but she’s adjusted well. She’s already grown out of her first wheelchair and working on her second. The team will keep building new sizes until Roo is fully grown.
Roo is Slowly Getting Used to Walking in a Wheelchair
The students and the Humane Society staff members have been diligently working to teach Roo how to use her wheelchair. While she doesn’t have it mastered, she’s getting close.
“She’s getting more comfortable in it and starting to really become a lot more mobile. She was a little bit scared at first,” the shelter’s vice president, Kristy Royall, told News 5.” We had a few little tip-overs, made some adjustments. But it’s literally changed her life and the way that she’s able to move, become mobile, not worrying about getting sores or breakdowns from constantly being on the ground.”
Kango-Roo’s wheelchair is one of many projects the Steel Eagles Robotics Team has built for people or animals in need. According to coach Tonya Shepard, it is their goal to give back to the community.
“That is one of our favorite things about robotics,” she said, “being able to go out into the community and do things that are actually helpful to the community, things that people might not think that robotics is involved with.
You can find the source for this story’s featured image here.
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