Apr 13, 2018 | By David
A student in Buenos Aires has attracted major attention recently for his new 3D printing initiative, which is intended to help out injured dogs in need of prosthetic limbs. 17 year-old Alejandro Colli, a computer engineering student, launched a campaign on Twitter, announcing his intention to start 3D printed free prosthetics for dogs and asking for publicity. He has received over 77,000 retweets, as well as over 36,000 likes.
(source: @AleColli1)
We reported recently on another similar campaign in the same region, where another teenager from Argentina told followers he would be 3D printing free prosthetics for people that were in need of them. This gained a remarkable amount of publicity and support on Instagram and Twitter, demonstrating the potential for these social media networks to encourage young tech enthusiasts with a clear purpose in mind as well as capturing people’s imaginations and promoting new technologies.
Colli was inspired by various 3D printed prosthetics projects he’d heard about in Argentina, but he wanted to try something a little different. He got his idea originally from Twitter itself, when he saw a viral video of a dog with a 3D printed prosthetic leg produced by its owner. The happiness of the dog after getting its new prosthetic was inspirational to the young engineering student, and he decided that he could use his own skills to achieve the same goals, but on an even larger scale.
(source: facebook @Phuketgazette)
A pet with an amputated limb will suffer not just from restricted mobility but also problems in the contra-lateral limb, as well as potential spinal issues due to its unnatural movement, and other conditions that can be debilitating. Many pet owners may not be in a financial position to get a suitable prosthetic for their animal, but 3D printing technology can cut down hugely on costs.
We’ve reported before on animals being helped with the help of 3D printing, and it rarely fails to put a smile on our faces. 3D printed prosthetics for dogs are increasingly common around the world, and we’ve even seen penguins and rare African secretary birds benefit from the increasing accessibility of additive manufacturing technology.
Shortly after he watched the viral video, Colli started to investigate different ways of producing 3D printed prosthetics, and eventually reached out to a nearby veterinary hospital for their assistance. They provided him with some 3D designs for prosthetics, and he set to work modifying them, before putting the first prototypes together from his own CAD models.
(source: Inhabitat)
The first 3D printed prosthetic took around 2 months to complete, as the various pieces were difficult to get right and to fit together at first. The prosthetic also required extensive testing and further modifications before it could be fitted to an animal. Colli has received several consultations from professionals along the way, and is currently intending to complete a total of 10 orders, co-ordinating with pet owners who are in need. He insists that no costs will be charged to the owners, as he wants to help out injured animals for free and will cover everything with his own money. Anyone interested can contact him through his Twitter, @Alecolli1.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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