Effects shop fulfills amputee's mermaid dream
Nadya Vessey's prosthetic tail is mostly constructed from wetsuit fabric and plastic molds, and covered in a digitally printed sock.
(Credit: stuff.co.nz)Good: double amputee gets prosthetic legs so she can walk. Better: double amputee gets realistic-looking mermaid tail so she can swim. Awesome: it's developed and built by Weta, the special-effects company that did work for the "Lord of the Rings" movies, as well as "King Kong" and "The Chronicles of Narnia" series.
Nadya Vessey's legs were amputated below the knee when she was a child due to illness. At one point, reports Stuff, a child asked her what happened to her legs and she told him she was a mermaid. The idea stuck with her, so she wrote to Weta Workshop in Wellington, New Zealand, two years ago asking for a mermaid tail. To her surprise, they said they'd do it.
Now she has a fully functional mermaid tail with an attached suit, making her look practically just like a real mermaid (if, you know, mermaids were real).
She can swim well and says the prosthesis feels quite comfortable. We're not sure if anything like this could go into mass production for amputees, but we wouldn't be surprised if 10 years from now there are mermaids swimming about in your local pool.
With more than 15 years experience testing hardware (and being obsessed with it), Crave freelance writer Matt Hickey can tell the good gadgets from the great. He also has a keen eye for future technology trends. Matt has blogged for publications including TechCrunch, CrunchGear, and most recently, Gizmodo. E-mail Matt. 
something for speedo to work on... maybe.
also, small detail, but i believe mermaids are technically topless.
taken together - i see the start of an X-games very special olympics.
The education that the people behind Slumdog have guaranteed these children is extremely useful, it gives them a future. Furthermore, while making the trust fund dependant on their continuing education may seem unfair to some, it is a good idea because it will force the parents to keep their children in school.
- by groyal March 22, 2009 9:50 AM PDT
- You can see the TVNZ video of Weta on Youtube
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(17 Comments)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9jCsbii5rs