Minnesota high school robotics team giving toddler mobility

FARMINGTON, Minn. – The parents of a 2-year-old Minnesota boy who needed an expensive power wheelchair turned to an unlikely source for help — a high school robotics team.

Farmington High School’s robotics team created a functioning wheelchair for Cillian Jackson by retrofitting a Power Wheels riding toy.

Cillian’s father, Tyler Jackson, tells KARE-TV his son was born with a genetic condition that makes it hard for him to move his body. Because the cost of the wheelchair was prohibitive, Jackson went to his former high school for help.

The robotics team replaced electrical components in the toy, mounted a seat from a bicycle carrier and made a joystick on a 3D printer. Cillian’s parents say their son is exploring like never before.