Zootoo Pet News recently interviewed Ola Harrysson, an associate professor of engineering, about his work in osseointegrated prosthetics. Unlike traditional prosthetic limbs, which can be removed, osseointegrated prosthetics attach to the bone.
The osseointegrated prosthetic becomes a part of the pet’s leg and in all cases the animal has been able to ambulate normally using the prosthetic. It is our hope that these animal patients will be able to live a normal life after the procedure and will be able to walk and run like any other pet. The owners still have to be very involved in the process for the procedure to be a success.
. . . It’s onward and upward for the group. Not only will they face all the usual difficulties the mountain presents, each will tackle their individual challenges resulting from their own disabilities.
In addition to the blog, the team has a detailed itinerary and a GPS feed so you can track their progress live. We’ll share highlights with you over the next several weeks.
Update: Check out this KTUU story on the team’s final preparations for the climb. (more…)
CBS’s The Early Show recently featured Dr. Denis Marcellin-Little, an orthopedic surgeon in the College of Veterinary Medicine, in a report about a three-legged dog, Cassidy, who became the first canine in the world to receive a permanent artificial leg. Marcellin-Little attached a titanium socket made in a lab in NC State’s Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering to the German Shephard mix’s right rear tibia last summer. In March, X-rays showed the bone was fusing with the rod, which “could one day lead to better prosthetics for wounded combat veterans and others.” Marcellin-Little told The News & Observer that he was “a little bit shocked” that Cassidy could walk so easily so quickly.
CBS’s 60 Minutes recently talked with Jonathan Kuniholm ’02, ’03 MID, MS for a fascinating piece on advances in prosthetics technologies. Kuniholm, who lost his right arm to a roadside bomb in Iraq, is doing some amazing work in the area at Duke University. In the segment, Kuniholm controls the movement of a prosthetic hand simply by thinking about it. Fast forward to 10:24 to see him. And read NC State magazine’s Spring 2008 article on him.
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