Foghorn the footless rooster is once again ruling the roost after being outfitted with new talons thanks to the technological expertise of researchers at the University of Calgary.
The rooster was found by bylaw services earlier this year on a city property and had lost both of his feet, likely from frostbite.
Foghorn couldn’t walk and kept falling over, so creative minds at the U of C came up with a way to help him get mobile.
"I immediately thought of Dr. Mark Ungrin as I knew he had a 3D printer in his laboratory and he might be able to design and create prosthetic feet for the rooster," said Dr. Daniel Pang, an assistant professor at University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.
Dr. Ungin does work on prototyping and simulated body parts and enlisted Douglas Kondro, a Biomedical Engineering student in his lab, to create 3D printed prosthetic feet for Foghorn
"This was a very interdisciplinary project," said Ungrin. "Dr. Pang is a veterinarian, my background is cell biology and tissue engineering, and my student Doug is working towards a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Given that this is not our major research focus, the fact that we were able to come together quickly, find a solution and implement it without drawing unduly on anyone's time was really a function of having the connections in place ahead of time. It also helps that Doug has a lot of energy and is willing to jump into new things with both feet!"
"I went and got some molds of his stubs and scanned them to make a computer model," said Kondro. "I got my hands on some wild turkey feet and used the scanner for that as well and matched them up to get a negative of the foot stump. Then I printed off the stumps and printed off the new feet and painted them with silicone so they'd be sturdy but flexible and soft for the rooster."
The team’s first attempt failed so a few modifications were required to get it right.
"The first ones didn't work. He couldn't really walk and kept falling over so I was pretty disappointed. So I made version 2.0 and I strapped the feet onto him. It was pretty exciting to see him strut around," said Kondro.
"Even though things started out purely by chance, this collaboration is really a very good example of how clinical sciences can tie in with basic researchers and solve a very real and very acute problem," said Pang.
Foghorn is now strutting his stuff on his new feet and has been adopted by a family who live on acreage near Didsbury, Alberta.
Dr. Ungin says rapid prototyping approaches, like 3D printing, may lead to customized prosthesis that are designed specifically to meet the needs of each patient and could be used for a wide range of conditions in both human and veterinary medicine.
For more information on the project click HERE.
