Tortoise injured in a forest fire gets a 3D-printed shell
Tortoise injured in a forest fire gets a 3D-printed shell
The tortoise is among a slew of animals benefiting from advances in 3D printing technology.
By Lonnie Shekhtman, Staff May 23, 2016
A 3D printed shell has given a new life to a badly burned tortoise that was found by the side of the road in Brazil in 2015, with its shell heavily damaged.
The new shell was designed and printed by a Sao Paulo group of volunteers that includes veterinarians, a 3D designer, and a dental surgeon, who together are working to save injured animals using 3D-printed prosthetics to replace damaged or missing limbs. They call themselves Animal Avengers.
“We first came together as friends because of our common love of science and our love for animals,” Roberto Fecchio, one of the group’s members, told the Daily Mail. “We soon realized we could do some extraordinary work using cutting-edge technology to push back the boundaries of life-saving care for mutilated animals by giving them customized prostheses,” he said.
The tortoise, which the Avengers named Freddy because her "back looked like the face of Freddy Krueger," as ABC reported, had been the victim of a fire in 2015 that destroyed 85 percent of her shell, which is critical protection from predators.
More:
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2016/0523/Tortoise-injured-in-a-forest-fire-gets-a-3D-printed-shell
Environment & Energy:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1127101814
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