Prosthetic Duck Foot Designed Using 3D Printing

Buttercup is a lucky little duck. He was born in November 2012 with a backwards foot, a disability that could have resulted in a short life, were it not for his owners who designed and 3D printed a prosthetic foot. It’s an amazing story.

From birth Buttercup was disabled with a backwards foot. As he grew, it was clear that this was going to impair his ability to survive.

After having surgery to remove the foot, Buttercup had just a little stump of a leg. His owner Mike Garey decided to turn to 3D printing to create a new limb for the duckling. As a software engineer, Garey used Autodesk 3D modeling software to design the new foot based on photos of Buttercup’s other foot and photos of Buttercup’s sister’s foot.

Garey partnered with NovaCopy, a 3D printing reseller located in Tennessee, to 3D print the foot, or really a sock shaped like a webbed foot that would ultimately be used to create a mold for the final prosthetic.

Needless to say, Buttercup is happy little duck that he is so well taken care of. His owners have published a Facebook page where you can follow Buttercup’s story in great detail. The page currently has over 8,000 likes!

Medical 3D Printing Breakthrough

In a medical 3D printing breakthrough, a man who suffered disfiguration from cancer gets a new prosthetic face and improved quality of life.

Four years ago, Briton Eric Moger was diagnosed with cancer when doctors found a tumor the size of a tennis ball growing inside his face. Moger immediately underwent surgery to remove the tumor, but the procedure also left him disfigured, literally missing part of his face.

In what is considered a first procedure of its kind, UK doctors have used medical 3D printing technology to create a new prosthetic face for Moger that matches the tone of his skin and includes a cheek, eye, and eyebrow.

The medical team used 3D scanning technology to develop a model of 60-year-old Moger’s face and then printed the prosthetic in nylon plastic.

In addition to giving Moger a more appealing look, the 3D printed face is also functional; it keeps water from spilling out of the cavity left behind from surgery when he drinks.

This is quite a medical breakthrough. In other examples, medical 3D printing techniques has been used to 3D print a new beak for a injured bald eagle and quickly fabricate a new titanium jaw for a woman inflicted with an infection.

The doctors hope that in the future these types of prosthetics can be printed in silicon for a more comfortable and even more natural look.

Via The Telegraph.

Photo credit: Geoff Pugh for the Telegraph