HILLSBOROUGH, N.H., Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Derby, a Husky mix, was born without properly formed paws. His congenitally deformed front legs are only marginally useful on soft surfaces, and they can't handle hard surfaces like cement sidewalks and wood floors. But now, for the first time in his life, Derby's mobility knows few boundaries.
Thanks to the work of engineers at 3D Systems (3DS), a 3-D printing company, Derby has been outfitted with specially designed prosthetics that allow him to walk, run and play with his doggy friends.
After Tara Anderson, an employee of 3D Systems, fostered Derby through Peace and Paws in Hillsborough, New Hampshire, she decided give the loving canine a parting gift as he assumed a new life with adopters Sherri and Dom Portanova.
With the help of trained veterinary orthotist, Derrick Campana, as well as several data experts at 3DS, Anderson was able to design and print a set of prosthetics with a loop-like shape -- the technology of a rocking chair translated for a high-energy dog via a ProJet 5500X.
Engineers say prototyping and perfecting a design as individual-specific as a prosthetic is so much faster and easier using 3-D printing technology.
"The beauty of 3D printing is that if the design needs to be adjusted, we don't have to wait for time-consuming and expensive traditional manufacturing processes, we can simply print out a new set," Buddy Byrum, a vice president at 3DS, said in a press release. "The dovetailing of 3D scanning and design with the ProJet 5500X multi-material 3D printing allowed for the creation of complete prosthetics printed in a single build, custom-fit to Derby."
The 21st century process has given Derby a new lease on life.
"He runs with Sherri and I every day, at least two to three miles," said Dom Portanova. "When I saw him sprinting like that on his new legs it was just amazing."
