WEBVTT - How Can 3-D Printing Help Save Animals?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio, Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff Lauren boglebam here. In two thousand nine, a

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<v Speaker 1>sea turtle suffered damage to her shell after being struck

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<v Speaker 1>by a boat. The turtle, now known as Seymour spelled

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<v Speaker 1>s e E m O r E, was sent to

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<v Speaker 1>live out her life at Sea Life Minnesota Aquarium from

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<v Speaker 1>a turtle hospital in Florida, but her injury caused what's

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<v Speaker 1>been called positive buoyancy disorder, or more colloquially bubble butt syndrome,

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<v Speaker 1>which traps air between her body and shell. It made

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<v Speaker 1>it hard for her to dive, float, and swim. Enter

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<v Speaker 1>the genius team of undergrads from University of Minnesota who

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<v Speaker 1>printed a three D prosthesis called an exo shell to

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<v Speaker 1>correct Seymour's buoyancy problem. Today, Seymour swims with her two

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<v Speaker 1>pound backpack that's a little under a kilo, just like

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<v Speaker 1>a regular sea turtle. Seymour's story is thanks to the

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<v Speaker 1>miracle of three D printing, and it's becoming more common

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<v Speaker 1>in veterinary medicine to repair injuries to animals, both domesticated

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<v Speaker 1>and wild. These days, veterinarians and wildlife conservationists are Following

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<v Speaker 1>the lead of physicians treating human patients by using three

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<v Speaker 1>D printing to create prostheses for injuries to limbs, fins, beaks, bones,

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<v Speaker 1>and yes shells. This technology is being used to create

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<v Speaker 1>everything from prosthetic legs for kittens and puppies to replacement

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<v Speaker 1>beaks for two cans, and while off the shelf, implants

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<v Speaker 1>and prostheses are available and can be adapted. Often it's

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<v Speaker 1>just as simple to create a custom made three D

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<v Speaker 1>implant part or prosthesis. Just as in human medicine, veterinarians

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<v Speaker 1>use technology like CT scans and mri I to create

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<v Speaker 1>images of an animal's body. The scans provide physicians and

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<v Speaker 1>conservationists with a three D image of what the damaged

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<v Speaker 1>part looks like an exact representation of what the new

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<v Speaker 1>part needs to look like. Three D printing is used

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<v Speaker 1>for prototyping the damaged part and the replacement. The image

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<v Speaker 1>creates a app that's uploaded into the computer controlling the printer.

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<v Speaker 1>Following the map, the printer puts down layer after layer

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<v Speaker 1>of material until the new part is formed. A variety

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<v Speaker 1>of materials can be used for three D printing, including

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<v Speaker 1>different types of plastics, ceramic, metals and even living cells.

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<v Speaker 1>But just because an animal might seem like a potential

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<v Speaker 1>candidate for a pros thesis doesn't mean it will get one.

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<v Speaker 1>For example, size does matter. Very large or very small

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<v Speaker 1>dogs are more difficult to fit. The residual limb also

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<v Speaker 1>has to be healthy. The animals shouldn't have any issues

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<v Speaker 1>with gait or range of motion, and animals with prostheses

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<v Speaker 1>have to go through rehab just like their human counterparts,

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<v Speaker 1>so they can build up their strength and learn how

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<v Speaker 1>to use their new limb properly. Today's episode was written

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<v Speaker 1>by Patty res Mussin and produced by Tyler Clang. Brain

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff is a production of I Heart Radio's How Stuff Works.

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<v Speaker 1>For more in this amounts of other individualized topics, visit

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