A bald eagle named Beauty whose beak was shot off by poachers has been fitted with a 3D printed, prosthetic beak by her helpers at Birds of Prey Northwest. The prosthetic isn't stable enough for a release back into the wild, but the bird can now feed and groom herself, rather than relying on humans.
But raptor specialist Jane Fink Cantwell, who dresses like Indiana Jones, refused to take "dead bald eagle" for an answer. She joined forces with mechanical engineer Nate Calvin of Kinetic Engineering Group, and together with other scientists, engineers, and even a dentist, they designed a nylon polymer beak that would perfectly replace Beauty's lost upper mandible.
Calvin developed the new beak using a 3-D modeling program, then used a 3-D printer to fabricate it. After an arduous procedure to attach her prosthetic, Beauty was able to eat, drink, and preen herself on her own.
Injured bald eagle gets new 3-D printed beak
(via /.)
