Children who are in need of a prosthetic now have access to something that has surpassed all of technology's previous offerings -- a Lego compatible DIY arm.
The IKO Creative Prosthetic System mirrors other prosthetics in the way it attaches to the hand but that is where the similarity stops.
While most limb replacement devices have fingers, this new invention allows kids to build their robotic arms into anything they would like it to be.
So, if they would like their hands to be miniature cranes, all they have to do is fix a Lego crane to the end. Think Iron Man's slick assembly line.
The superhero comparison is not far off from the designer's grand scheme for his invention.
Carlos Arturo Torres came up with the idea while studying at the Umeå Institute of Design in Sweden. He says:
"The nature of the system would allow to be compatible with more products than LEGO, imagine having MARVEL developing superhero modules, MATTEL making doll houses or car launchers, GE producing microscopes, NINTENDO having compatible accessories, and everything at its normal accessible price."
Torres hopes that the arm will change how children with missing limbs are perceived among their peers.
"What if “normal” kids could understand disability in from a different perspective?, he explains."
"Maybe they could empathise instead of being afraid of something they don’t know, what if they could all share, learn and create all together using play as a mean?"
Earlier this month, the 2015 Core77 Design Awards gave the project -- a collaboration between Lego and CIREC, a foundation for physical rehabilitation -- the Open Design Student Prize recognising its innovation.