MADISON (WKOW) — A young cat gets a second chance, thanks to a group of UW-Madison engineering students.
Sgt. Stubbs lost his two back legs last year in a train accident. Since then, he’s had to relearn how to move around. He’s still not able to do everything he wants to.
That’s where the engineering students come in, designing prosthetics for the cat.
“The main goal is to teach them the design process,” said UW Lecturer Katie Kalscheur. “To work from a client who has a need, all the way to creating a prototype that solves the problem.”
The students met Sgt. Stubbs and his owner to get a feel for what would work best for him. They presented three ideas Thursday, offering everything from a bouncy ball footpad to a shoelace boot.
“We decided we’re going to mix two designs together,” said Pierson Fisher, a UW engineering student.
Now, the students have nine weeks to bring their design to life.
“The big thing for me is helping people and animals,” UW Engineering Student Ethan Frohna added. “That’s why I want to be a biomedical engineer.”
27 News plans to follow along on this journey with Sgt. Stubbs and the students. We’ll show you the final design and how the cat likes his new legs when the project is complete.
