staff in building the battery-powered hand left everyone
in the room feeling proud,
and it left Dario satisfied with
his creation.
The benefits of kids
building their own prosthetics
could be great. Dario helped
demonstrate this point.
There’s quite a big difference
between being handed a
prosthetic and creating your
own. Many children grow up
with a social stigma; an idea
that they aren’t normal
because one arm is
constructed out of plastics
and batteries in addition to
the flesh and bone one they
have. However, using,
manipulating, and playing
with a self-built custom hand
could be a tremendously different experience for that child.
At that point, they are no longer thinking “I’m stuck with
this different looking arm,” but rather “I get to play with
and use my very own arm that I built.” With this mindset,
children lacking limbs may be given more confidence and
social skills.
Dario helped demonstrate this idea, as well. Tovar
wanted to make sure that the self-built arm actually inspired
confidence, not just theoretically. He invited Dario’s best
friend — who doesn’t have limb differences — to play with
Dario and his newly created hand. In the entrance interview,
Dario’s friend claimed to feel shared sorrow and empathy
for Dario. However, upon the end of the play session, he
When Dario’s friend displayed signs of jealousy over the
robotic arm, Tovar suggested they attach his LEGO spaceship
to Dario’s arm. They stuck the ship onto the arm dock and
created a new fun experience. Through this playing
experience, Tovar witnessed Dario’s friend empathize and
learn to understand what it means
to have limb differences. He also
learned that Dario wasn’t much
different from himself, and that
lacking a limb isn’t holding him
back.
Tovar was devastated when he
eventually had to take the
prototype away from Dario so he
could fix some issues and develop
the technology further. He could
see the heartbreak in Dario’s eyes.
Although Dario barely spent a day
with his newly built arm, he was
already emotionally attached to it,
but he knew going into research
testing he wouldn’t get to keep it.
Fortunately, Tovar was able to
assure Dario that he would be getting a brand new
prototype as soon as possible. This new one, Tovar hopes,
will work myoelectronically, meaning Dario wouldn’t need a
remote to control his arm; he could do it simply by thinking
about the movement. Myoelectronic systems pick up
electrical signals from the muscles and then activate the
motors in the arm. However, this could take a while.
So, next time you’re browsing your typical websites or
reading a magazine and see the influx of stories about the
newest and greatest prosthetic technology, remember Dario
and his friend playing. Remember the benefits children
could have from building their own arm.
Although it may be easier and simpler for a child to
have his arm measured and be given a myoelectric arm,
there’s a different kind of reward when they design and
build their own; a different kind of satisfaction and
appreciation. Dario showed this to everyone. I predict that
many more kids will soon experience the same amount of
joy as he did. SV
The assembled IKO Creative Prosthetic System.
SERVO 01.2016 35
Dario testing out his newly built
LEGO scoop arm.
