Published , by Charles Singletary Jr
Published , by Charles Singletary Jr
Our childhood obsessions and passions can sometimes manifest into magnificent creations. Such is the case with David Aguilar, self-named "Hand Solo", who has turned his adoration of the tiny, colored bricks into creating a prosthetic device for his deformed arm.
Great Big Story is a global media company based out of New York that specializes in cinematic storytelling. On YouTube, they publish micro-documentaries and short films and this episode goes into David Aguilar's love for LEGOs, the creative evolution of his prosthetic arm project, and more.
David Aguilar is 19 and studies bioengineering at the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya in Spain. He grew up in a principality between Spain and France called Andorra. “As a child, I was very nervous to be in front of other guys, because I was different, but that didn’t stop me believing in my dreams,” Aguilar told Reuters. “I wanted to ... see myself in the mirror like I see other guys, with two hands.”
Aguilar created his first artificial arm at the age of nine using LEGOs, his favorite toys at the time. He fondly names his various versions with the label "MK", which pays homage to Marvel Comic hero Iron Man aka Tony Stark. All of Stark's suits are marked as MK. It only took him five days to create the MK 1. Aguilar has them on display in his university residence. His dream after graduating is to create affordable prosthetics for those that could use them.
“I would try to give them a prosthetic, even if it’s for free, to make them feel like a normal person, because what is normal, right?”
David originally attempted to build using the standard LEGO sets, but they weren't strong enough to hold up for regular activities like opening doors. Thus, he moved up to LEGO Technic. Technic is a more advanced line of LEGOs created in 1977 so that designers could take their creations to the next level. The sets feature beams, axles, gear wheels, and connectors, allowing David to build more functional and robust prosthetic arm models. The MK 2, for instance, has a battery that functions as a bicep and a fishing cable. Via movement in his shoulder, David can force the MK 2 to automatically flex or extend or he can just move it freely.
Watch the feature on David Aguilar and his MK series of LEGO-built prosthetic arms and stay tuned to Shacknews for additional updates.