34 SERVO 01.2016
own arms or legs — all entirely out of LEGO sets. When he
saw the limbs built out of LEGO blocks, he was inspired. He
recalled his homeland of Columbia, and the 5,400 children
there who lose a limb every year in the armed conflicts
raging throughout the country. Tovar went to work,
drawing up designs and developing blueprints for his new
IKO Creative Prosthetic System. He estimated the cost
would be approximately $5,000 for a hand, comprised
mostly of LEGO blocks and batteries. The only recurring
cost would be a $1,500 3D printed socket that would
essentially dock the hand to the user’s limb. It would need
to be printed every year in order to fit a growing child.
Although it’s very difficult to get an exact price
comparison since prosthetic limbs tend to be very
personalized and customized, a 2012 study in the Archives
of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation found that the cost
of a myoelectric upper limb prosthetic can range between
$40,000 and $100,000. The study also
found that adults who have had a prosthetic
limb their whole life can rack up a lifetime
total cost of $800,000 between
replacements, repairs, and updated
technology.
Tovar picked out a very fitting test
subject for this kind of project. Dario is an
eight year old from Tovar’s native Columbia,
and he was born with a partially developed
right arm that stopped growing at his
elbow. At their first meeting, Tovar was
shown Dario’s drawings of robots, and he
knew he was the right one for this
experiment.
Tovar quickly rushed back to Denmark,
got approval for his experiment from the
LEGO Group, and gained access to the
coveted brick library which contains every
shaped LEGO block imaginable. The LEGO
Group loved the idea, supporting Tovar’s
idea that “kids should be the drivers of their
own experience and be in control of everything.” With the
LEGO Group’s backing, he was ready to create a prototype.
He went to work using LEGO sets, some 3D printed
materials, and LEGO MINDSTORMS which is a robotic
computing platform. His design would revolve around a
modular 3D printed dock. From this dock, a hand, a hook,
and even a flashing light-up spaceship (anything really) that
could be built with LEGO blocks could be attached onto this
dock. This is where Tovar’s “playing” aspect comes to
fruition.
As soon as the dock and prototype arms were built,
Tovar rushed back to Columbia to meet with Dario and test
out his ideas. His first concern was that Dario would be
able to build his prosthetic — especially when he only has
one hand. To Tovar’s delight, Dario was able to command
his family and lead everyone to a custom, self-built, LEGO
prosthetic backhoe-like hand. The inclusion of his family and
Dario, friends, and family designing and building his LEGO arm.
Some of Dario’s LEGO creations for his homemade arm.