The advent of 3D printing has opened up a whole new world of possibilities, and
some of them are already improving lives. Born with deformed front legs, Derby
was a severely disabled dog. A cart gave him mobility, but his foster caregiver, Tara
Anderson, wanted to take it a step further.

A project manager for 3D Systems in South Carolina, Tara and her team worked with Derrick
Campana, a certified Orthotist at Animal Ortho Care in Chantilly, Virginia, to create 3D
prosthetics for Derby. Data of the dog’s forearms, along with 3D scan data of a cup design
created by Campana, were used to make prosthetics customized to the dog’s morphology.
They feature perfect organic shapes and smooth curves perfectly suited to his body. Derby
can now move like any other dog – his owners, Dom and Sherry Portanova, report that he
loves going for runs and sometimes even takes the lead.

3DSystems.com