KENNEWICK — Dust off those glasses because that’s not Tony Hawk you’re seeing.
Thanks to four mechanical engineering students at Washington State University, a disabled tortoise in the Tri-Cities has a new mobility device to help her glide around.
Minty, a young gopher tortoise at Northwest Tortoise in Kennewick has been finding it easier in recent weeks to crawl, slide and saunter about thanks to a new skateboard-like device strapped to her shell.
“With daily therapy and things we’ve been working on, in the spring she’ll be pretty darn mobile. She’s already made huge progress,” said Terese Meyer, Minty’s owner and founder of the nonprofit Northwest Tortoise.
Last week she seemed more interested in eating strawberries and fending off the pet cats than scooting about. Her sluggishness is attributed to seasonal brumation, which is like hibernation but for reptiles.
“Some days she makes it down the hall, others she doesn’t. Just depends on how strong she’s feeling,” Meyer said. “She only has about two, three minutes of stamina.”
Minty — likely about 29 to 43 years old — suffers from a disease called metabolic bone disease, caused by malnutrition.
Years of a poor diet caused her shell to collapse and fracture her spine, making it difficult to crawl around without any support underneath her. Gropher tortoises can usually live past 100, but Minty’s lifespan is likely to be a fraction of that because of her condition.
She was relinquished to Northwest Tortoise — the region’s only nonprofit rescue and sanctuary serving ill and abandoned tortoises — about three years ago.
To help her walk, Meyer has been taping a small block of Styrofoam beneath her to support her weight.
In October, WSU students from the Richland branch campus began the process of designing an attachable prosthetic as part of an undergraduate capstone project. Sprout Stokes, Abdullah Alsheri, Andrew Zapata and Emma Waldroup are the students involved.
The group came up with five 3D-printed, plastic prototypes for Minty to try out: two-wheeled devices, a sled, a platform elevated by stilts and a ball-point pen foundation.
The young tortoise ultimately found the wheel prototype with casters the most comfortable. It provides her a range of motion, as well as the ability to move backward.
“I think this method is very interesting and it works,” Meyer said. “I think (the students) accomplished a lot with this. They’re all hard working, and very receptive to feedback and different ideas.”
The final iteration of the preferred design cost students about $50 to design, print and construct, though it includes specifications from three prototypes and can be outfitted for different stages of Minty’s recovery or for other animals. Meyer said she’s looking forward to seeing how it holds up on the concrete and lawn.
Doug Reid, a project engineer at Washington River Production Solutions and the WSU adjunct professor who served as their advisory, said the finished product is “functional and cost-efficient.”
“We all look forward to seeing the positive impact that their hard work will have on Minty’s quality of life,” he said in a written statement.
