I was born with Poland syndrome, a illness that prevented the formation of my proper arm and pectoral muscle groups. I used to be bullied in school. Folks mentioned issues like, “It’s not your fault that you just had been born like this, it’s your mom’s fault.” Or requested me to catch a ball with my proper hand. Silly feedback that wouldn’t have an effect on me now, however again then they struck very laborious.
I’d play with Lego loads as a toddler. I bought my first package after I was 5. My mother and father realised it was a good way to enhance my dexterity. I simply stored going, constructing planes and vehicles. I even constructed a guitar.
I used to be obsessive about movies on the web about Lego Technic – a extra superior vary – and easy methods to use it to construct stuff like weapons that shoot rubber bands. After I was 9, I constructed my first prosthetic arm from Lego Technic. My first prosthetic was a easy field that I may match my arm inside.
I misplaced curiosity in Lego for a couple of years, however after I was 17 I picked it up once more and made one other prosthetic that I referred to as the MK-1, which had fingers, a motor and a strain sensor. It had a movable elbow joint and grabber that might decide issues up.
Earlier than I constructed my first arm, I had already determined I didn’t want a prosthetic. My mother and father and I had regarded into getting one a couple of years earlier, however I realised they had been very costly and weren’t offered by the federal government. So I believed, perhaps I don’t want one as a result of I’m doing simply positive. I look a bit bit completely different, however that’s OK. It’s sort of ironic that I don’t use the prosthetics myself, however by the point I began making them I had already tailored to my situation. I make them as a result of it’s enjoyable.
I’ve since made a number of new variations. My newest mannequin, the MK-V, is essentially the most superior and cozy but. It has a management unit that may ship and obtain orders from sensors on the arm to the motors, with cables that contract like muscle groups.
I named my prosthetics MK in tribute to the comedian guide superhero Iron Man and his MK armour fits. My creations are very robust and sturdy. I wished to test how straightforward it was to interrupt a prosthetic, so I began to hit it in opposition to a wall – it was the wall that ended up broken.
We made a video about my creations and it went viral. At 23, I’m the Guinness world record-holder for being the primary individual to construct his personal absolutely functioning prosthetic arm utilizing Lego bricks. A documentary has been made about me and my dad, and I’ve simply written a guide about my life.
I’ve a YouTube channel, Hand Solo, the place I share movies of my work so others can be taught. I used to be barely frightened about utilizing the Star Wars title, however my dad wrote a letter to Disney, which owns the rights, explaining my scenario and it agreed to let me hold the title.
Lots of people don’t have the sources to purchase a prosthetic as a result of they are often very costly. Some prosthetics are cheaper than others, however the top-notch superior fashions can price as a lot as an Aston Martin. So my purpose is to attempt to make some which might be extra reasonably priced. I’m at present learning bioengineering, and thru my research, I hope to assist extra folks.
After I was 19, the mother and father of an eight-year-old boy with phocomelia had seen my work and bought in contact to ask if I may construct him a prosthetic. His legs and arms are underdeveloped as a part of his situation, so I made two prosthetic arms utilizing Lego items costing solely €15. His smile when he used them for the primary time was very empowering. I’ve had many requests to make prosthetics, however I’ve to spend time serious about the design and utility.
I don’t like injustice in life, comparable to bullying, or the truth that somebody might should pay as much as €100,000 for a prosthetic. Folks shouldn’t pay that a lot – it’s not a luxurious.
To me, my creations don’t essentially inform the story of how I overcame my situation with Lego; they’re about how I overcame bullying and being upset virtually day-after-day in school. Now I really feel as if I’m Thor, and my prosthetic creations are my hammer.
As advised to Daniel Dylan Wray
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