Positive buoyancy syndrome, also known as Bubble Butt, is a serious condition affecting sea turtles. Sea turtles are unfortunately often struck by boats, causing their shells to be deformed. Air bubbles can form in the deformed shell, throwing off their natural buoyancy and making swimming difficult.
Charlotte, a male sea turtle with Bubble Butt, was rescued by the Georgia Aquarium because his condition prevented him from getting enough food to survive. He was moved to the Mystic Aquarium, where the veterinarians tried several methods to help Charlotte level out, including weights glued to his shell and a weighted fabric harness, but all failed.
The solution came from an unexpected source: a Minnesota high school student. Gabriela Queiroz Miranda developed a 3D-printed harness, which she tested on the classroom turtle, delightfully named Voldetort.
After taking 3D scans of Charlotte's shell, some 3D modeling, and a lot of trial and error, the team developed a lightweight, comfortable, weighted harness that finally allows her to swim normally once again. Check out the entire article for details on the process. They are also looking for more help on future projects like this, so if you have a background in computational design, 3D capture technology, feature recognition, material engineering, or large-format 3D printing, click the link at the bottom of the article.
Previously: Witness the spectacular sight of 64,000 sea turtles captured on drone footage
