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3D Printed Paws Help Derby the Dog Reach His Full Height
Posted On Jan 05 2016
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Anderson adopted Derby from Peace and Paws Dog Rescue a year ago and – being that she’s a project manager at 3D printing company 3D Systems – put her 3D printing resources and skills to immediate use in designing custom prostheses for Derby’s congenital leg deformity. Derby had an initial set of 3D printed prosthetics that allowed him to get around, but weren’t flawless. An upgrade, with what they call grown-up prosthetic paws which now allow him to stand at his full height.
The new prosthetics are ideal for him and he got used to them nearly immediately.
When Derby the dog was born with partially formed front paws, it seemed as if he might never live a “normal” dog’s life.
Born with undeveloped front paws, Derby, a husky-mutt dog, was forced to crawl or walk on his hind legs. The first set of paws, allowed him to run on all fours, but he was hunched forward.
For the first time in his life, Derby (the clearly awesome) dog is able to sit and walk at a natural height.
A new technology developed by 3D Systems has helped a dog to stand perfectly on his paws. Finally, the team at 3D systems has made a decision to design leg that can bend like normal knees.
“He feels like a real dog”, said Sherry Portanova, Derby’s adopted owner.
Their first design was quite successful owing to which they thought that scaling up the original was only needed. 3D Systems attempted to simply create a larger version of the originals to raise the pooch up to a normal height, but the result was too ungainly for Derby to use comfortably.
Besides the new design, the team used a better material which is both harder and more flexible than the previous one.
“This past year has been awesome for us and for Derby”, Portonva said.
It basically creates a 3D object by fusing tiny particles.
Would you like to start a new year with a heartwarming update on Derby, the adorable dog with 3D-printed legs? We’re happy to see how far Derby has come and love the look of his new futuristic prosthetics.
