When little Phoenix King came into the world a few months ago, his parents Jeremy and Chelsie knew some challenges were on the horizon.
Jeremy underwent brain surgery three years ago to remove a tumor, according to Chelsie, who said it left him with “some physical challenges and physical disabilities,” CBS News reported Monday.
One of their questions was how would Jeremy be able to take Phoenix for a walk and also be safe?
To find an answer, Chelsie, who is a teacher at Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland, contacted the head of its technology lab, Matt Zigler.
He presented the challenge to his students, which included Jacob Zlotnitsky and Ibenka Espinoza, who want to study astrophysics when they move on to college.
The group designed an incredible invention for Jeremy, who now enjoys strolling through his neighborhood with his family:
Prototypes for the “WheeStroll” were created with a 3D printer and the students designed brackets and shaped aluminum maker pipe to fasten the wheelchair and stroller together.
“I think they dumped a bunch of cinderblocks in it and actually weight-tested it at the school a couple times, which I think the kids were really into,” Chelsie commented.
“It seemed like the sort of perfect challenge for this class. One, it was great to have it as a challenge but two, it was great that it was somebody in our community that actually could benefit from it,” Zigler told NBC Washington.
The students’ design also won two international awards. For Jeremy, the invention is more than he could have imagined.
“I never thought I’d be able to do something like this safely,” he explained. “I feel wonderful. I feel ecstatic.”
According to Zlotnitsky, seeing the smiles on the couples’ faces was the greatest part of the project.
“The relief that, oof, it worked,” Espinoza said.