A sea turtle was found severely injured by animal rescue volunteers in Turkey, with its jaw torn apart after a collision with a boat propellor. But, thanks to a 3D-printing company that goes by the name 'BTech Innovation,' the sea turtle will soon be able to return to its natural habitat with an awesome upgrade; a new beak made out of medical-grade titanium, according to FOX News.
Volunteers at the Research, Rescue and Rehabilitation center at the Pamukkale University located in Denizli, Turkey, took care of the 99-pound (45-kg) reptile, but they realized that the sea turtle would require a new jaw in order to feed on its own.
According to the BBC, the rehabilitation center got in touch with BTech Innovation, known to create customized medical prosthetics and implants for humans, to see if they could help save the turtle's life with a 3-D printed prosthetic beak.
The 3-D printing firm took detailed CT scans of the reptile's head in order to create a design of its new medical-grade titanium jaw. Thanks to the magic of technology, the sea turtle, named Akut-3, can now eat and survive on its own. Akut-3 is getting better at the recovery center and should be able to return to the sea as soon as the volunteers make sure that the reptile is comfortable with its prosthetic beak and has adapter to it.
3-D printing technology has also helped save the life of a tortoise in Denver. In March, the tortoise, named Cleopatra, had a deformed shell due to a poor diet that made her vulnerable to an infection, until a Colorado Technical University student designed and printed a customized plastic shell for the reptile, according to The Huffington Post.
