Custom wheelchair for dog without front legs
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 legs, she had to adapt to jumping on her hind legs for mobility. So the Steel Eagles Robotics Team at Holy Savior Menard Central High School in Louisiana 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 2023 using a 3D printer. The puppy ran into trouble while learning how to walk in the new setup, but she has adjusted well. She has already grown out of her first wheelchair and is working on her second. The team will keep building new sizes until Roo is fully grown.
The students and the Humane Society staff members have been working to teach Roo how to use her wheelchair. While she hasn't mastered it yet, she is getting close.“She was scared at first but she's getting more comfortable in it and starting to become a lot more mobile,”the shelter's vice president, Kristy Royall, said.
Kanga-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 and do things that are actually helpful to the community.
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