Derby the dog gets better 3D-printed paw prosthetics
He walks and sits more like other dogs now.
Derby, the dog with 3D-printed legs, can walk straight and sit like any other pooch now, thanks to a new set of prosthetics. If you recall, South Carolina company 3D Systems created his initial pair to be close to the ground so he could get used to them without hurting himself. Since merely blowing the old version up didn't work quite as well as the company had hoped, the team decided to design new ones.
According to 3D Systems Director Tara Anderson, they realized in the end that the best option was to create prosthetics that have a little bit of give and take like real knees do. Instead of using multijet 3D printing like before, the company turned to selective laser sintering to bring his new legs to life. SLS is a manufacturing process that uses heat to fuse tiny particles of material to create a 3D object. The result is two bouncy prosthetics that allow Derby to move like any other dog and like he's had front legs all his life.
