Derby the dog can finally run to his heart's desire, thanks to his new owner and a specially designed pair of prostheses for his deformed front legs. His artificial limbs were 3D-printed just for him.
Tara Anderson, who is a 3D Systems employee, was Derby's forster mother and immediately decided she needed to help him as soon as she heard his story. After experimenting with carts and other devices that have been used on dogs in the past, she finally thought of turning to her company for help in designing and printing Derby's new legs.
The team at 3D Systems was only all too happy to try and help Derby walk, run, and play with other dogs. According to a statement released by the 3D company, "The team utilized Geomagic Freeform, 3DS' digital sculpting platform, which allowed them to create perfect organic shapes and smooth curves for Derby's shape."
The 3D-printed prostheses are also much more cost-effective than regular prosthetic-making techniques, which are expensive and require a lot of time to complete. With a 3D printer, when a part needs to be replaced, repaired, or redesigned, all they have to do is print out a new one.
The best part of the story: Derby can now smile and run free.
Derby's new owners, Sherri and Dom Portonova, say that he is very energetic, bouncy, and happy to be able to move on his own.
"He runs with Sherri and [me] every day, at least two to three miles. When I saw him sprinting like that on his new legs, it was just amazing," Dom said.
Derby's current prostheses were built low in order to get him used to them. The team plans on making him new ones that will be more aligned with his hind legs.
