Animal Prosthetics
This is Fuji the dolphin. Fuji lost her tail due to cancer. After two failed attempts, Bridgestone Tire Company was able to come up with this silicon rubber tail. Fuji accepted it and can swim almost as well as before. She lives in Okinawa.
And here's CBS video coverage.
Fuji is not the only animal to receive a prosthetic. This is a Romanian stork named Uzonka:
And the elephant Motola was injured by a land mine.
Engineers have often taken animal designs for our own use. Now they can use their designs to aid animals. And the field of animal prosthetics is likely to increase our understanding of body mechanics more generally.
Comments
Amazing. A few years ago, the only kindness we could show to animals with these injuries would have been to put them down. Now we have other options.
Posted by: Phil Bowermaster![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.blog.speculist.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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May 15, 2008 07:44 AM