Aquarium teams up with school kids to design a prosthetic for a penguin

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Middle school students from Mystic Middle School, Connecticut, US, have helped to create a 3D printed orthotic boot for a penguin at the nearby Mystic Aquarium.

Using 3D Systems’ technology to make a custom-fit flipper for an injured endangered penguin, the students 3D scanned a foot cast, then modelled and 3D printed the grippy new boot for Purps the penguin.

The process depressed with the time consuming wrestling needed to fit a penguin with a bulky manual traditional cast, while being able to add in some custom elements like rubbery grips on the bottom.