Duck Gets New Lease On Life Due To 3-D Printed Prosthetic Foot [Video]

Ducks are some of my favorite animals. I'm always completely heartbroken when I see people chasing them, or otherwise being mean, so I was happy when I came across this video. This duck's name is Buttercup, and she was born with her left foot facing backward which made it both difficult and painful to walk. Luckily, she was being cared for by the right people, and they managed to have a prosthetic foot made for her using 3-D printing! Check it out after the jump!

Buttercup's new foot was made based off of photos of her sister Minnie's left foot. Knowing that the normal stiff plastic they generally use for 3-D printing wouldn't work well for a prosthetic duck foot, the folks at NovaCopy instead printed a plastic mold, which they then used to create a silicone foot for Buttercup.

And here's Buttercup walking!