Harold Brommer and Silvan Eelman
Student then and now
After a year of intensive collaboration, the first horses at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine are now being treated with 3D-printed shoes. Silvan Eelman, a Master's student in Computer Science at Utrecht University's Faculty of Science, designed the software for this. He talks to Harold Brommer, professor of Equine Surgery at Utrecht University and one of the initiators of the project.
How did the idea for 3D-printed shoes come about?
"It started with an idea from our farrier Jan de Zwaan," says Professor Harold Brommer. "He thought 3D-printed shoes would be a great idea for horses with problem feet that can no longer be fitted with conventional shoes. Together with the Friends of VetMed fund, we raised the necessary funding to conduct an initial study."
Silvan, what was your part in this?
"In principle, making a digitalised hoof shoe isn’t difficult," says Master's student Silvan Eelman. "But if we are to treat patients with hoof problems in the best possible way, we need to be able to make adjustments that are tailored to the specific problem, based on the hoof scan. Take sealing off the sole area of the hoof, for example. With that knowledge, I developed software that allows farriers to easily adjust the horseshoe from behind their computer."
How did your collaboration come about?
Eelman: "I was looking for a topic for my Master's thesis when this project came my way. Although I had never worked with horses before, this seemed to me like a great opportunity."
Brommer: "In the past, a colleague of mine had collaborated with the Faculty of Science on another project. I got in touch with them through the AI & Animal Welfare Lab at Utrecht University. There is so much knowledge and expertise within the various faculties! The trick is to bring it all together."
What is the biggest thing you’ve taken away from this project?
Brommer: "Mainly the way we worked together. As vets and farriers, we ran into a clinical problem and needed help from people who know about technology. If a technique is to be developed further, the right partnerships are important. The best thing about this for me is that someone who knows nothing about horses can still help our discipline. Horses with problem feet used to be labelled 'untreatable'. Thanks to Silvan's work, they are now being fitted with 3D-printed shoes.
Eelman: "The most memorable thing for me is that you don't quite know what you are getting into. My workplace turned out to be at the forge, where horses were constantly coming in. The farriers included me in their work. When your software ends up being used, you really feel proud."
How do you see the future?
Brommer: "I think there’s a place on the consumer market, not only for horses with problem hooves, but also for horses that don’t have problems. To further improve horse well-being, for example. Currently, we can already treat patients at the faculty with 3D-printed hoof shoes. Whether other farriers are open to learning this, time will tell. Maybe not so much the current generation of farriers, but for the new generation, I think this is a great opportunity."
Eelman: "In the future, I see us building a database of treatments and their effects. Gathering knowledge from different farriers and using it to advise owners is invaluable."