Run Derby Run!

December 18, 2014 3:09 AM

Derby was born with very deformed front legs... With the aid of 3-D printing, the world is moving a lot faster for him. (article here)
posted by HuronBob (19 comments total)

I can make it in my own
posted by hellojed at 4:42 AM on December 18, 2014 [7 favorites]

Very cool. I'm sure there's some technical reason for this that I probably missed, but is there a reason the prosthetics are so low to the ground? The flex in Derby's back (as if he's doing a doggy "bow" when he wears them) looks like it might cause problems down the road.
posted by longdaysjourney at 5:10 AM on December 18, 2014

The lowness is explained it in the comments longdaysjourney - he's on his fourth version of legs. Probably they started him low so he could get used to the idea and have more success than starting high and falling over.
posted by Calzephyr at 5:30 AM on December 18, 2014 [4 favorites]

Turns out that the single most frequent thing that 3D printers do is make me tear up.
posted by middleclasstool at 5:31 AM on December 18, 2014 [14 favorites]

Oh yeah, I cried and I made my mom cry.
posted by Kimberly at 5:37 AM on December 18, 2014

A 3D printer that uses tears as filament. I donate this patent to Metafilter.
posted by DigDoug at 5:43 AM on December 18, 2014 [2 favorites]

I am glad that this development is being made. It will eventually end YouTube videos of dogs forced by accident or nature to learn to run on their hind legs, because those things give me a very unsettled feeling.
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:47 AM on December 18, 2014 [1 favorite]

is there a reason the prosthetics are so low to the ground?

She responded in the comments (do not go looking there because they are full of those stupid Reddit/ 4chan idiots trolling):

"We started this way to give him a chance to get used to his new legs. But with 3D printing it's easy to iterate design, so he is being fitted with progressively longer legs until he reaches his optimal height. Work is ongoing and we are about to 3D print the 4th version of his prosthetics."

posted by yerfatma at 6:07 AM on December 18, 2014 [5 favorites]

Yay! Go, little buddy!


Now you can play the Very Best Dog Game, Running in Circles!
posted by louche mustachio at 6:19 AM on December 18, 2014 [1 favorite]

His tiny little nubby pawsies are so cute. Like little chicken wings.

I hope they print multiple prosthetics, since he is a puppy and they look very chewable.
posted by cmyk at 6:26 AM on December 18, 2014 [1 favorite]

This kinda made me fall in love with the world again this morning. Thanks!
posted by meinvt at 6:28 AM on December 18, 2014

What a beautiful dog. What awesome people.
posted by allthinky at 6:34 AM on December 18, 2014

Thanks guys, I never read the comments, obviously. Glad that he won't be stuck bowing when he reaches his final version of legs.
posted by longdaysjourney at 7:03 AM on December 18, 2014

He's so happy at the end, "Yay, running, running, running!"
posted by octothorpe at 7:18 AM on December 18, 2014 [1 favorite]

By the end he could have had 4 wheels and been powered by the force of tail wags alone.

nyoom
posted by poffin boffin at 7:41 AM on December 18, 2014 [7 favorites]

What a pretty dog.
posted by maryr at 8:13 AM on December 18, 2014 [1 favorite]

I can make it in my own

great, now i'm singing the MTM theme song with "dog" replacing "girl"
posted by poffin boffin at 8:55 AM on December 18, 2014

Go, Derby! Great story, clever design, and a nice example of something that can be done with this technology that might not have been affordable otherwise.
posted by Nat "King" Cole Porter Wagoner at 9:07 AM on December 18, 2014

"I never met a wild thing sorry for itself" -DH Lawrence
posted by judson at 10:17 AM on December 18, 2014 [4 favorites]