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Teenager Builds Himself a Robotic Prosthetic Arm Using Lego Pieces (abc.net.au)

David Aguila, a 19-year-old bioengineering student at the Universitat Internacional de Catulunya in Spain, has built himself a robotic prosthetic arm using Lego pieces. David was born with Poland syndrome that affects his right peck and right arm. From a report: Once his favorite toys, the plastic bricks became the building material for Mr Aguilar's first, still very rudimentary, artificial arm at the age of nine, and each new version had more movement than the one before. He uses the artificial arm only occasionally and is self-sufficient without it, with all the versions on display in his room in the university residence on the outskirts of Barcelona. In November 2017 Mr Aguilar, who uses Lego pieces provided by a friend, proudly displayed a fully functional red and yellow robotic arm, built when he was 18, bending it in the elbow joint and flexing the grabber.

The latest models are marked MK followed by the number -- a tribute to comic book superhero Iron Man and his MK armor suits. The MK II was a predominantly blue model built from a Lego plane set, including a motor, while MK III was created from a set for a piece of mining equipment. After graduating from university, he wants to create affordable prosthetic solutions for people who need them.

63 comments

  1. But will it ever touch a titty? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sadly no, as he is playing with legos at 19

    1. Re:But will it ever touch a titty? by No+Longer+an+AC · · Score: 1

      I'm much older than 19 and the only reason I don't play with Legos is I can't afford them.

      Okay, I wrote that and then went and browsed their site for a few minutes and maybe that's unfair to say. I mean I sort of want that Saturn V rocket and $120 isn't really unreasonable for what you get. I'm actually having to restrain myself from making an impulse buy.

      But if I start buying Legos that will be less money for my other hobbies sucking up my disposable income which are arguably just as childish.

      I just found this video:

      Adam Savage Builds the LEGO NASA Apollo Saturn V!

      Okay, if I wait until tomorrow it won't be an impulse buy.

    2. Re:But will it ever touch a titty? by mark-t · · Score: 1

      It occurs to me that people who think that Lego is "childish" simply because they can't imagine anyone other than children or people who haven't learned how to grow up doing it have probably do not know as much about Lego as they might think.

      It is no more childish than, for example, sculpting models out of clay or some other medium. The parallels between the two pastimes should be obvious.

    3. Re: But will it ever touch a titty? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So you never touched a titty. Got it.

    4. Re:But will it ever touch a titty? by Richard_at_work · · Score: 1

      Lego are definitely releasing more things orientated toward the adult fan - the UCS Millennium Falcon release from 2017 for example is hugely expensive, but also isn't usable as a play set due to the difficulty accessing the interior and the fact that you have to lift it in a very specific way or things fall off...

      Add to that stuff like the Expert city buildings, hyper-detailed sets like the Ninjago City sets, the upcoming Lego Movie 2 "Welcome to Apocalypseburg" set etc. Expensive. Can't see kids being allowed to play many of them!

    5. Re:But will it ever touch a titty? by Richard_at_work · · Score: 1

      Well, at one point in recent history, games consoles were kids things. Today? Definitely marketed toward the adult gamer. And gaming as an adult seems to have been accepted.

    6. Re: But will it ever touch a titty? by mark-t · · Score: 1

      I'm unsure what respecting a person's hobbies has to do with whether one has ever been with a woman....

      Are you projecting, perhaps?

      Or are perhaps you are just trying to be an asshole by insinuating something that can't possibly know anything about?

    7. Re: But will it ever touch a titty? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sorry, you touched a titty when you were born. But you never touched a titty after that.

    8. Re: But will it ever touch a titty? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Their most complex kit is a fully functional roadable crane. I watched a YouTube video of some guy building it and there's nothing childish about it. Bloody lovely.

    9. Re: But will it ever touch a titty? by zidium · · Score: 1

      I honestly thought that it was an attempt at humor ;_)

      --
      Slashdot Valentines Beta Massacre: iT WORKED! The boycotts killed Beta!!
    10. Re: But will it ever touch a titty? by subie · · Score: 0

      I turn 51 in a couple weeks, 5 kids, 1 foster child, and retired from 30 plus year career in IT. I still enjoy them and the creativity and imagination they bring out in me after all these years. Sadly I've had to teach my children to embrace that imagination because modern kids seem to have lost it. I'm way passed 2nd base moron.

    11. Re: But will it ever touch a titty? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thank god for man titties then!

    12. Re:But will it ever touch a titty? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Okay, I wrote that and then went and browsed their site for a few minutes and maybe that's unfair to say. I mean I sort of want that Saturn V rocket and $120 isn't really unreasonable for what you get. I'm actually having to restrain myself from making an impulse buy.

      I'm not sure I should encourage you, but a young family member of mine built that set and it is gorgeous.

  2. Kids these days... by The+Original+CDR · · Score: 3, Funny

    When I was a kid back in the 1970s, we built an artificial vagina from camping gear at Boy Scout camp.

    1. Re:Kids these days... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      judging by that post that's the last time you saw female genitalia
      chris

    2. Re:Kids these days... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      lol what a loser, you shoulda just got molested by the scoutmaster like the rest of us

    3. Re:Kids these days... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      scoutmaster pulled down creimettes pants and saw all the lard and beeswax
      the sadness killed the scoutmasters boner that night

    4. Re:Kids these days... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sterno, some bandage tape from the first aid kit, and a canteen will go a long way when you're lonely. Speaking of kids on camping trips...Yo, BeauHD!

    5. Re:Kids these days... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      chris ain't here man

    6. Re:Kids these days... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      no YOU did that all the other boys used your fat ass as the mangina
      they even got a badge for that

    7. Re: Kids these days... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey hey hey, Creimette is mostly above reproach

    8. Re:Kids these days... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sounds like you got experience being the bottom.

    9. Re: Kids these days... by registrations_suck · · Score: 2

      And it is probably still as close to pussy as you have been.

    10. Re:Kids these days... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      i vividly remember seeing the back of your neck during summer camp
      i didn't think it was normal for a nine year old's neck to already look like a pack of hot dogs
      but at least you didn't push back
      too much

    11. Re: Kids these days... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But now you are a 49 year old man with a shit job and no retirement savings :(

    12. Re:Kids these days... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Think of what a looser you'd have to be to troll CDR like you do.

      Less than zero worth.

    13. Re: Kids these days... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow what a looser.

    14. Re: Kids these days... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      At least we know why he's loose!

    15. Re:Kids these days... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      _,--=#[The Post CRIMER aka The Original CDR doesn't want you to read!!!]#=--,_ 1)Why-are-people-upset-with-him? 2)What-can-I-do 3)What-are-his-names 4)Who-is-FatCashewsLovesMe 5)How-to-defeat-his-hustles 6)Why-are-there-dashes 7)Pastebin-Copy

      1)Why-are-people-upset-with-himHe makes frequent low quality posts for two reasons:
      Money) BASICALLY: He made thousands of shitty posts & bragged about how much money it made him.
      DETAILS: He wants u to folow his referer links & pick up his cookie. Even if u dont buy what he linked but do buy something else from that site later on he often makes money;He ALSO tries to drive TRAFFIC to his various BLOGS & vlogs.
      Karma)He believes karma acumulates infinitely So he makes lots of pointles posts that r not bad enough to mod down;hoping they wil get moded up;He was a raging ahole when he thoght he had a karma surplus

      2)What-can-I-do DOWNMOD u wil usually get more mod points. If he is postng from a new sock acount w/ krma, get his oldst posts first. DOWNMOD him and AC in fresh thrads early on;Metmods wil reward u. METAMOD his posts. REPLY ONLY ANONYMOUSLY to the most deeply nested coments in his threds it helps hide his posts. Dwnvote his SUBMISSIONS, he uses to get krma. REPORT HIM to slshdot & the afiliate progrms he is usng. DONT MENTION his brand names c**mer.

      3)What-are-his-namesMost famous:The Original CDR, Cre|mer Cdre|mer ILoveFatCashews, Anonymous Cashews, The Fat Bastard aka TCDR

      4)Who-is-FatCashewsLoveMe AKA Tardu Lardo,FCLM Funny & anoying; Not me or crimer;He keeps lookout for infestation

      5)How-can-I-avoid-his-hustles --===DONT FOLLOW HIS LINKS!!!===--
      IF YOU MUST:Use a privte tab & nevr buy anything on the same sesion. If he fools u, close tab, cler the cookies for that site. There r sites other than yutube that wil let u watch his videos. I dont know if people view his contnt but I can pictre his jowls jigling at the thoght of people subvrting his business model
      6)Why-are-there-dashes & weird stuffI know most only skim thse posts. I want the most imprtnt infrmton to pop out at a glnce & to keep it shrt. I dont use TCDRs name becase he may think tht he benfits from geting it indxed by serch engnes. Id like 2 thnk TCDR & FCLM for editrial advice

      7)Copy: http://archive.is/TtDrY

    16. Re:Kids these days... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      CROFLOL! A 50 years old virgin who has never seen a real life vagina making vagina jokes!

      Hey cwiss! Your video views are down to a record low of 0.5 view a day by published video! Keep on the good work! What a great long tail revenue stream!

    17. Re: Kids these days... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

      Cryptofeces Lepidoptera Creimerus infestation is a serious problem. Not only are they capable of reproducing asexually like amoebas, they can also lay eggs hermaphroditically in unexpected places. They can disguise eggs as something useful to fool the unaware, sometimes pretending to be a haiku author, blogger, vlogger, or IT closet cleaner.

      Very dangerous. They can seemingly reproduce out of the cosmic background radiation, even if you step on twelve of them, there's always one you miss.

      Don't be fooled by the C. Lepidoptera Creimerus's innocuous, rolly-polly, and almost friendly appearance; despite its great size, stupid demeanor, and bedraggled toothless appearance, they have the hardiness of a tardigrade.

      Only a concerted, targeted downmodding campaign has been shown effective in controlling this dangerous pest.

      Experience shows that stopping such a campaign leads to C. Lepidoptera Creimerus returning within days.

      Don't let it happen again!
      --
      the biggest looser on Slashdot

    18. Re:Kids these days... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Chris' case is getting worse, he spends all day replying to himself as AC or using so called "sock puppet accounts" on Slashdot and now, on YouTube and other forums in order to grab attention!

      Chris had an agenda to post anything he felt like on Slashdot which did not work well because it was based on his false beliefs that he had an infinite number of karma points as he wrote here several times.

      Several people here explained to Chris that karma maxed out at some level like 50 or so but Chris kept on insisting that his python script had confirmed that he had millions of karma points!

      Oh well, as I wrote before: "It isn't Chris' fault if he is the way he is. We do the best we can do with him and he is partially integrated into society. We try to cure his abnormal need for attention but he is kind of stubborn and won't listen to anybody."

      For the valuable /. users that might already have read the following, please note that there is an important update.

      IMPORTANT UPDATE:
      Special Education for the Santa Clara County Office of Education has invested money to buy Chris a new chair:
      http://www.keynamics.com/image...

      Information about Christopher Dale Reimer and his type of autistic people:

      Chris' type autistic people have obsessions about things normal people don't care. For example, Chris went haywire when he realized that there was a penny missing in his pocket change.

      To calm him down, one of our educator pretended to have found it on the floor and gave a penny to him.

      Chris' condition went even worse because he realized it wasn't the same penny!

      Chris has an obsession with budgeting every penny. He doesn't understand that most people do not budget to the penny and have a flexible amount they allow for miscellaneous items.

      I am Nancy Guerrero and I am Director of Special Education for the Santa Clara County Office of Education. We use Chris' (a.k.a. creimer,cdreimer) picture in our document because he is the hardest case we have ever had to handle:
      http://www.sccoe.org/depts/stu...

      Our artists were inspired by the low carb diet that Christopher follows scrupulously for the small lunch box and by the picture linked below for the rest. I am sure that you will notice the similarities such as the bump on the side of his chest and more:
      https://ibb.co/gVad65

      Please be easy on Christopher although, I am aware that some of our staff handling Chris post joke comments here and obvoiusly, the Santa Clara County Office of Education disapprove that behavior vehemently:
      http://ibb.co/mRVSaG

      But it isn't Chris' fault if he is the way he is. We do the best we can do with him and he is partially integrated into society. We try to cure his abnormal need for attention but he is kind of stubborn and won't listen to anybody.

      Thank You dear users,
      ---
      Nancy Guerrero
      Director
      Special Education
      Santa Clara County Office of Education

    19. Re:Kids these days... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Cdreimer left /. after 20+ years and posted 100+ videos in 2018. His trolls are still butthurt about this.

      The thing to do for him: post more videos :)

    20. Re: Kids these days... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Cdreimer left /. after 20+ years and posted 100+ videos in 2018. His trolls are still butthurt about this.

      The thing to do for him: post more videos :)

    21. Re:Kids these days... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Cdreimer left /. after 20+ years and posted 100+ videos in 2018. His trolls are still butthurt about this.

      The thing to do for him: post more videos :)

    22. Re: Kids these days... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They can disguise eggs as something useful to fool the unaware,

      Cock eggs, cock eggs, cock eggs, cock eggs, cock eggs!

      CROFLOL!

      Cock eggs jokes are much funnier than vagina jokes, why doesn't creimette ever make any???

    23. Re:Kids these days... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Exactly Nancy,

      But it seems like Chris is a victim here. He keeps on reading those SEO, youtube algorithm, basically get rich quick sites. He doesn't realize that he is the fish for them since they make money off him with their own schemes. Then, he wastes his time trying to implement what those sites suggest and he ends up disturbing people.

      I mean, those crooks tell Chris that he has to build personal brands and he goes on the Internet and makes everything about himself public!

      I believe we should bring this up at our next meeting. He might not be our only patient victim of such on-line abuse.

      https://www.researchgate.net/p...

      --
      Silvia Bunge
      Psychology Department
      University of California, Berkeley

  3. Self-sufficient without it by No+Longer+an+AC · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The fact that he was able too build those is very good evidence that he is indeed self-sufficient without them.

    The fact that he uses them only occasionally is interesting. There's a balance of self-sufficiency and utility of these arms.

    1. Re: Self-sufficient without it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Shut up, idiot. We are all making sex jokes.

    2. Re: Self-sufficient without it by mark-t · · Score: 1

      Oh, if I had mod points... that was OT, but seriously funny.

    3. Re:Self-sufficient without it by turbidostato · · Score: 1

      "The fact that he was able too build those is very good evidence that he is indeed self-sufficient without them. [...] The fact that he uses them only occasionally is interesting."

      Well, we are quite self-sufficient without airliners (as demonstrated by the fact that we can build them without using them), but still we find them useful (that's why we build them). And we use them only occasionally too!

  4. Did he nickname it "The Stranger"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    eom

    1. Re:Did he nickname it "The Stranger"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, he actually calls it the feeler upper.

  5. The Trilogy by Herkum01 · · Score: 2

    I guess we have the basis for the third Lego movie now...

  6. peck? by hamburger+lady · · Score: 1

    David was born with Poland syndrome that affects his right peck and right arm

    "peck"? the fuck is this shit? did he pick a peck? which peck did he fucking pick?

    --

    ---
    Is this the MPAA? Is this the RIAA? Is this the DMCA? I thought it was the USA!
    1. Re: peck? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Peck. As in she didnt kiss me full on the lips because I made her leave the tip at dinner peck?

    2. Re:peck? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      David was born with Poland syndrome that affects his right peck and right arm

      "peck"? the fuck is this shit? did he pick a peck? which peck did he fucking pick?

      Short for Pectoral, dumbass.

    3. Re:peck? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That would be 'pec', dumbass.

  7. Politics by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Did he get permission to experiment on humans?

    That's of murderously vital importance to some around here.

    1. Re: Politics by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think he is allowed to shake hands with it with impunity. Beyond that I have no idea.

  8. Lego price by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'll wait to get the Lepin chinesium version of this for 1/10th the cost of Lego from AliExpress.

  9. Nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    The latest models are marked MK followed by the number -- a tribute to comic book superhero Iron Man and his MK armor suits.

    I feel like the author may have actually been too dumb to know what "Mark I" or "Mark II" means in relation to things that you are building, especially when you're talking about prototypes.

    1. Re:Nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Damnit! I wasted my last mod point on the comment about "we're making sex jokes" when I should have waited until I saw this comment, since that's what I came here for, wondering why the apparent confusion about what "MK" means, especially since Tony Stark says "Mark ..." in the movies when describing the various suits.

      Posting as AC because, as mentioned, I modded this thread.

      DethLok.

  10. It's all fine and dandy... by Z80a · · Score: 1

    Until he discover mecano. Then we're all doomed.

  11. Mk is Mark by fox171171 · · Score: 1

    The latest models are marked MK followed by the number -- a tribute to comic book superhero Iron Man and his MK armor suits.

    It's "Mark". "Mk" is short for "Mark". Mk I, Mk II, Mk III, Mk IV. Is Mark 1, Mark 2, Mark 3, Mark 4.

    They are version numbers.

  12. Markus Kossmann by Leuf · · Score: 1

    Funnily enough one of the Lego Technic designers is named Markus Kossmann and he always works his initials into his models, including the bucket wheel excavator that this guy used to build one of his arms.

  13. Mecha by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

    Show of hands: If you were 19 and building yourself a robotic arm, wouldn't you make it double as a grenade launcher?

    I'm thinking this kid missed a real opportunity.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  14. High cost by sjames · · Score: 1

    We keep hearing about people making prosthetics for hundreds of dollars that outperform the "official" ones that cost thousands.

    1. Re: High cost by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wait until the kid gets sued by the FDA for unlawful building of a medical device.

      This is the real reason that "medical devices" end up so expensive.

    2. Re:High cost by RespekMyAthorati · · Score: 1

      That's because he:
      (1) isn't paying himself for his labor, and
      (2) isn't trying to make a profit and
      (3) doesn't give a fuck if he is "infringing" someone's patents

    3. Re:High cost by sjames · · Score: 1

      We have seen other examples involving 3D printing. The labor cost isn't that high, even doing it like the "official" manufacturers do. The profit angle is the biggest factor. Patents are just the profit angle blessed by the USPTO.

      It's pretty much the same as everything else in the medical field. Popsicle sticks are dirt cheap but as soon as you tell someone to say Ahh it's a $5 tongue depressor according to the charge master.