Bioengineering Student Uses LEGO Bricks to Build Functional Prosthetic Arms

What can be greater than a person using his own disability to make a difference for others? A YouTuber cum bioengineering student used his own limb differences as an inspiration to bring a change in the world of prosthetics, using LEGO bricks.

Kids with limb differences might find it hard and time consuming to learn how to perform everyday tasks. Prosthesis is a device that is designed to replace a missing part of the body or to make a part of the body work better. While it can be life changing for some, not everyone can afford it because of its unconvincingly high cost. This is why David Aguilar Amphoux has come to their rescue. 

David himself was born with a congenital disease known as Poland Syndrome. This disease caused him to be born without his right forearm. He was highly creative since his childhood and had engrossed himself in the world of LEGO bricks. He was comforted by the fact that whenever he was building something using his LEGO bricks, it didn’t matter if he had one arm or two. At the age of just nine, he took his creativity to a whole new level when he built his very first prosthetic arm.

At that very moment, LEGO bricks became a part of him, not just figuratively, but literally too. The small bricks built from plastic, took the place of David’s right forearm. This was a huge accomplishment for the young boy that further made him believe that his limb differences were irrelevant and that he could truly do anything. Years later, when the Spanish boy was 18 years old, he remodeled the pieces from a LEGO Technic helicopter in order to design a more versatile prosthetic.

He named this invention the MK-I and it featured a bendable elbow and the capacity to grab and pick up objects. He later created a YouTube channel, called Hand Solo, where he provides detailed instructions about his building process. David has a hope in heart to make prosthetics more accessible and affordable for those in need. Recently, he answered a call for help that was very close to his heart. A mother named Zaure Bektemissova extended her plea for help, hoping for some guidance on prosthetics for her 8-year old son from the YouTuber.

Instead of giving her mere advice for her son, David gave the woman two custom-built prosthetic arms. Beknur, an 8 year old experienced for the first time in his life what having hands of his own feel like. All credit to David, this little boy’s world opened up significantly.

In a conversation with the Guinness World Records, the young YouTuber said: “Now, children around the world will learn about my story, and hopefully will change the way they think when looking at someone else that doesn’t look like them. Doesn’t matter if they are missing a limb, they have Down Syndrome, autism… Everyone’s different, and that’s what makes us unique!” David certainly proved that not all superheroes wear capes.