An arm for an arm

David Aguilar was born with Poland syndrome, a condition that prevented the development of his right arm and pectoral muscle. But this being Positive DONUT and all, the story obviously doesn't end there.

A self-proclaimed Lego lover, David was only nine years old when he first started to develop a functional prosthetic arm built from the plastic bricks.

• It took him almost a decade, but in 2017, David successfully built (and became the world record holder for) the world's first functional prosthetic arm made out of Legos.

⚡🔋 Powering up... Named MK-I (Mark 1) after Iron Man's suit, David's first prosthetic arm was able to bend at the elbow and grip things strongly enough to pick them up. But it was operated manually, and became uncomfortable to wear after too long (where's Jarvis when you need him??). 

• Not wanting to give up on his dream of wearing his prosthetic long term, David went back to the drawing board.

✋ Fifth time's the charm... The second-most recent model he's built to date is called the MK-V. It's far more comfortable to wear, and even uses motors and sensors to create a broader range of motion.

• "It's the most comfortable prosthetic of my models," he shared, "and I don't need to use my muscles to lift something. The servo motors do it for me!"

🦾 But the MOST recent model to date... is a small Lego arm David created for eight-year-old Beknur Zahibekyly, a disabled boy whose spine can't support the weight of a typical metal prosthetic. 

According to his mom, Beknur's entire life has changed since receiving the prosthetic. "His self-esteem is high now, comparing to what was before," she said. Even simple things like picking something up off the ground was impossible for him before David's creation.

• The best part? All-in-all, it only cost David $18 to build Beknur's arm. 🤯

💭 Dream big: David is now studying bioengineering at the International University of Catalunya. He hopes to continue developing better and more affordable prosthetics to help people living with disabilities.