A teenage girl cancer survivor recently met her new pet, a robotic dragon, at the Cherokee Castle in Sedalia. Make-a-Wish Foundation teamed up with Arrow electronics to make this once-in-a-lifetime wish come true.
The foundation has been making the life-changing wishes of children with critical illnesses come true since the 1980s. They aim to serve children fighting for their lives and their families who are doing everything they can to help them in battles.
Now, they have made another wish come true by making a robotic dragon especially designed for Belle Cress, the 14-year-old teenage cancer survivor who wished for a robotic dragon as a pet, a friend, and a companion.
Teenage Cancer Survivor's Wish
Belle is a cancer survivor who battled a rare form of one cancer called osteosarcoma, a condition that required her to undergo ten months of intensive chemotherapy.
The wish started as a virtual reality experience courtesy of emergeStudios, where Belle was transported to a fantastical place in a far, far away land. There, she first laid eyes on her dragon, which she named "Dusk."
When Make-a-Wish Foundation received Belle's wish, they said that the extraordinary wish was almost impossible to make but not quite impossible as it was a robotic dragon and not a real one.
The foundation teamed up with Arrow Electronics in making the dragon that is specially made to respond to Belle's touch, face, and voice.
When asked what she thinks of her robotic dragon, she told CBS local news: "Excited ... like a feeling that I can't really explain in my chest ... sort of nervous.. excited. I've loved dragons ever since I can remember."
Belle was not only able to meet and touch Dusk, her robotic dragon, at the medieval Cherokee Ranch castle in Colorado, but she was also able to take it home. Now, she has a robotic dragon that can be her pet, friend, and companion.
Make-a-Wish Foundation continues to grant children with critical illness their wishes even during the COVID-19 pandemic as they will not allow it to distract them from completing 8,800 wishes waiting to come true across the US.
Dusk: Belle's 3D-Printed Robotic Dragon
Dusk, Belle's robotic dragon, is made with individually 3D-printed scales and has 26 motors and several computer boards. According to Good News Network, Dusk is a marvel of engineering and robotics.
The robotic dragon can see and recognize the face of Belle, and it also responds to her voice and touch with dragon-like movements such as stretching its wings.
Arrow Electronics' project manager Victoria Pea said that rubbing the dragon's chin, head, or nose and petting it a little bit could elicit different reactions from the robot.
Like a real dragon, Dusk can wag its tail, stand up, spread its wings, make dragon noises, and "eats" a special food. Pea added that it could even sit down once it gets tired. She also said that they initially thought of making the robot a fire-spitting dragon, but given the electronics, it is not the best idea.
"Why we're building a robotic dragon for just one kid is because it's for just one kid," Pea said. "We want her to be happy, and if a robotic dragon is going to make her happy, I say 'why not build it?'"
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