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Michigan high school seniors engineer a power wheelchair for a young boy with SMA. Kingston Wilson has spinal muscular atrophy and requires a wheelchair to get around. He manages pretty well with his manual wheelchair, but sometimes it’s a struggle for him to keep up with his classmates. So a group of engineering students from West Michigan Aviation Academy created a solution to help Kingston get around better.
The charter high school seniors built a motorized scooter that attaches to Kingston’s wheelchair, allowing the little guy to shoot around quickly and keep up with his friends. They were even able to make it so Kingston could attach the scooter all by himself, giving him even more independence. His mom, Savannah Nanninga-Jensen, says the creation is a “game-changer” for their family since motorized wheelchairs cost thousands of dollars. The students’ scooter design came in at under $100.
One of the students who worked on the project, recent West Michigan Academy graduate Matthew Klynstra, says that it was satisfying creating something that will make such a difference. "Definitely feels good to be able to help him out like that," he says.
Source: FOX 17 Online