https://www.denverpost.com/2021/05/06/make-a-wish-dragon-robot/ * News + News + Latest News + Colorado News + National News + Crime and Public Safety + World News + Weather + Obituaries + Cannabist + Education + Health + Environment + Video + Your Hub * Sports + Sports + Denver Broncos + Colorado Rockies + Denver Nuggets + Colorado Avalanche + Colorado Rapids + College Sports + Outdoors + Sports Columnists + Preps + Golf + Boxing / MMA + Sports on TV/Radio + Sports Podcasts * Business + Business + Airlines + Economy + Energy + Real Estate + Retail + Technology * Entertainment + Entertainment + Games + Arts + Books + Calendar + Comics + Movies and Television + Music + Theater + Television Listings + Travel + The Know * Lifestyle + Lifestyle + Ask Amy + Horoscopes + Restaurants, Food and Drink + Fitness + Hiking + Home & Garden + Skiing and Snowboarding + The Know Outdoors * Opinion + Opinion + Editorials + Columnists + Letters + Cartoons + Endorsements * Politics + Politics + Colorado Politics + Denver Politics + The Spot + Joe Biden Administration + National Politics * Classifieds + Classifieds + Cars + Homes + Jobs + Freelance Jobs * Subscribe * Log In * Logout The Denver Post * Manage subscription * Sign up for Newsletters * DIGITAL REPLICA EDITION * Obituaries * Logout * News + News + Latest News + Colorado News + National News + Crime and Public Safety + World News + Weather + Obituaries + Cannabist + Education + Health + Environment + Video + Your Hub * Sports + Sports + Denver Broncos + Colorado Rockies + Denver Nuggets + Colorado Avalanche + Colorado Rapids + College Sports + Outdoors + Sports Columnists + Preps + Golf + Boxing / MMA + Sports on TV/Radio + Sports Podcasts * Business + Business + Airlines + Economy + Energy + Real Estate + Retail + Technology * Entertainment + Entertainment + Games + Arts + Books + Calendar + Comics + Movies and Television + Music + Theater + Television Listings + Travel + The Know * Lifestyle + Lifestyle + Ask Amy + Horoscopes + Restaurants, Food and Drink + Fitness + Hiking + Home & Garden + Skiing and Snowboarding + The Know Outdoors * Opinion + Opinion + Editorials + Columnists + Letters + Cartoons + Endorsements * Politics + Politics + Colorado Politics + Denver Politics + The Spot + Joe Biden Administration + National Politics * Classifieds + Classifieds + Cars + Homes + Jobs + Freelance Jobs * Subscribe * Log In * Logout [ ] How a team of Colorado innovators granted a... Share this: * Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) * Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) * Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) * Click to print (Opens in new window) * Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) * More * * Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) * Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) * * Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) * Submit to Stumbleupon (Opens in new window) * * Trending: * Why have models of Colorado's coronavirus trajectory been off? Breaking News 6 slain at Colorado Springs birthday party; suspected shooter killed self, police say News Colorado News NewsNews Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. How a team of Colorado innovators granted a 14-year-old's wish for a dragon Make-A-Wish and Colorado's Arrow Electronics partnered for an 18-month project to build a fantastical creature Share this: * Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) * Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) * Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) * Click to print (Opens in new window) * Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) * More * * Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) * Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) * * Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) * Submit to Stumbleupon (Opens in new window) * * Belle Cress, 14, gets acquainted with her robotic dragon for the first time, at Cherokee Ranch and Castle in Sedalia, Colorado, thanks to a collaboration between Arrow Electronics and Make-A-Wish. (Photo provided by Ellen Jaskol/Arrow Electronics) By Laura Studley | lstudley@denverpost.com | PUBLISHED: May 6, 2021 at 6:00 a.m. | UPDATED: May 7, 2021 at 9:11 a.m. When Arrow Electronics heard from Make-A-Wish about a new technology project in the fall of 2019, the Centennial-based company immediately signed on. The nonprofit had asked Arrow to build a dragon, one that would serve as a pet for 14-year-old Colorado Springs resident Belle Cress, who was in treatment for bone cancer at the time. "Usually Make-A-Wish kids want to go to a theme park or they want to meet a pop star or a favorite ballplayer," said Joe Verrengia , Arrow's corporate social responsibility director. "But she's really into dragons and she kind of surprised everyone by saying she wanted a dragon." Enamored with flying things, Belle said she has loved dragons for as long as she can remember. One of the reasons for her interest is that dragons can look however you want them to, she said. And it is in that same spirit of imagination that the Arrow team, along with engineers, designers and programmers, began the process of making this fantastical creature a reality. "The dragon part of it was certainly a challenging layer, but when we started to look at it as a device, as a technology product, it became quickly understandable and we organized it around that kind of concept," Verrengia said. With the help of a couple dozen team members, a 3-foot, 17-pound dragon named Dusk was born. The dragon itself is programmed with different behaviors that Belle is able to discover the longer she interacts with it. And because Belle is the primary user, the dragon recognizes and reacts when it sees her, much like a real pet. "The whole electronic and mechanical aspect is amazing," said Victoria Bohannon-Pea, Arrow's engineering services project manager. "The fact that we were able to program this dragon to react to being petted... It knows to wag its tail, move its head, lift its wings." Arrow also provided "food" for Dusk to eat. Each piece of food has a radio-frequency identification chip in it. These individual chips react with the sensors in the dragon's mouth and elicit a certain behavior. Because the dragon is unlike any other pet, it has a very unique diet of kumquats and other novelty food items. "It adds an extra innovation layer," Verrengia said . "When you get a lot of people around the table and you start combining technology and art and you have very creative people, you end up with that." The main pieces of the dragon are made out of nylon filament, a material used in 3-D printing. Its scales were sculpted using a 3-D printer, giving it a "realistic" look, Bohannon-Pea said. Typically, robotic toys are blocky because of all the wiring and other mechanics inside, but Verrengia said Belle wanted her dragon to look graceful. "You open (the dragon) up, there's not a millimeter to spare in that body, so that alone in terms of computer design, that was a real challenge," Verrengia said. The team is now working on Phase 2 -- programming Dusk to walk. Because of the deadline of the project, not everything was able to be fit into the first phase. The pandemic also took its toll on the project. The main group working on robotics was located in Boise, Idaho, while others were in Colorado. Bohannon-Pea said that with a large collaborative project such as this, different teams have to be in communication constantly because of the overlap of each portion of the project. "It was challenging," Bohannon-Pea said. "A lot of the programming that the team does requires feedback from the mechanical team and what they're seeing with the physical movements of the dragon as well as any errors in code that the electrical engineers are seeing during their testing. That added a bit of time." Related Articles * Denver weather: With more rain, snow coming, city is about to surpass precipitation for all of last year * 6 slain at Colorado Springs birthday party; suspected shooter killed self, police say * Man dies in El Paso County Jail * Denver police officer shot in Sunnyside late Saturday; suspect at large * Essay: A Mother's Day reunion, more than a year in the making Verrengia said that, at the very beginning of the project, many meetings were planned, but with COVID-19, much of that in-person collaboration wasn't possible. Yet the team persevered. It was Belle and the promise of making her wish come true that inspired the team to continue on, despite the challenges of the pandemic. "It's not for her, it's not with her, it's because of her," Verrengia said. "You really feel that sense just driving the project forward." Arrow received the final product on March 21. Two days later, Belle met Dusk for the first time. Belle said her favorite part of her new pet is its wings and its reaction to being pet. "This is our program's first social robot. We've done a variety of other complex projects, but this was the first one of its kind," Verrengia said. "There are different social robots out there, but I'm pretty confident there aren't any like this." --------------------------------------------------------------------- * Policies * Report an Error * Contact Us * Submit a News Tip The Trust Project Logo Sign up for Newsletters and Alerts Subscribe Follow Us * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * RSS Most Popular * Kickin' It with Kiz: Here's the trade proposal for Aaron Rodgers the Broncos should make * Colorado homeowners hit with sticker shock over property valuations have until end of May to protest * Pick 6: Odds Aaron Rodgers is traded to the Broncos, Denver wins Super Bowl LVI, Pat Surtain II wins rookie of the year * Report of a possible explosive device shut down I-70 at Eisenhower Tunnel * Ask Amy: "Save-the-Date" doesn't lead to an invitation * 6 slain at Colorado Springs birthday party; suspected shooter killed self, police say * Schrader: Quit celebrating Colorado's rising home values. 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