New titanium jaw for turtle, thanks to 3D printing
Image: BTech Innovation/Facebook
Digital Reporter
Tuesday, May 19, 2015, 8:57 AM - Thanks to 3D printing technology, one sea turtle's devastating jaw injury needn't be permanent handicap.
A loggerhead turtle who had half its beak torn off after colliding with a boat's propeller has a new beak, made of titanium and custom-made.
Staff at turkey's Pamukkale University had been caring for the turtle by hand-feeding it at their rehabilitation centre, and decided on the 3D printed replacement as the best option for its future in the wild.
A research team at the university joined forces with Turkish 3D printing firm BTech Innovation to make the prosthetic happen, basing the new beak on CT scans of the turtle.
The turtle, called Akut-3, is being monitored for signs of rejection. If all goes as planned, it will be released into the wild.
3D printing, properly known as additive manufacturing, is the art of carefully assembling a programmed product from base raw materials.
The technology has grown by leaps and bounds, and researchers, artisans, doctors and the general public can use it to make everything from copies of dinosaur bones and artificial hearts.
It's also proven useful in the realm of animal rescue, like this case of a turtle with a 3D-printed shell.
WATCH BELOW: World's rarest sea turtle washes ashore
