It was only a short matter of time the breakthroughs and strides we’ve made in 3D printing extended to man’s best friend. Derby, a dog born with deformed front legs, can now run and sit upright just like any other pup thanks to a pair of printed prosthetic legs.
These are actually the second pair of prosthetics for Derby. His first set, produced by 3D Systems a year ago, positioned him very close to the ground so he could learn to walk and run without injuring himself. But now Derby was ready for an upgrade. To straighten out his back, engineers first tried to fit him with a larger version of his original prosthetics, but they proved to be too big and bulky for the Husky mix. The 3D Systems team eventually turned to a completely different printing process, laser sintering, that would provide the same bend and flexibility. Derby’s new, fully redesigned prosthetics offer the same kind of give as an actual knee. Now he can walk and comfortably sit around just like other dogs.