We are blown away by this new invention by Columbian inventor Carlos Arturo Torres. It's called the Iko and it is a prosthetic limb for children that incorporates building blocks into the design so kids can build their own limbs!
Just look at how much fun the boy in that video is having. It's almost like he's been given a super cool super power. Some day, he'll grow up to be … Brick Man!
Okay, maybe we're getting carried away, but we still absolutely love this concept. It puts the child first and focuses on fun and functionality.
What's not to love about that?
Torres created the Iko for his Master’s degree in product design and it won a Core77 design award for him. The limb was created in partnership with Lego’s Future Lab and CIREC, a center in Columbia that focuses on rehabilitating children with various disabilities.
The Iko uses Lego Mindstorms and the limb is essentially built with the building blocks snapping together and locking in place. Once it’s built and functioning, the limb can then have different components built and attached to the end of it, like a backhoe or a toy spaceship, for example.
Torres says he’d like to eventually see other companies like Marvel, GE and Nintendo create attachments that could be used for the limbs.
Could you imagine if Marvel got on board and released an Iron Man attachment? Or a Hulk fist attachment?
We never thought we’d see the day that building blocks were used to build a prosthetic arm. They’re something that pretty much every kid loves and it makes perfect sense to use them, especially with the interchangeable ends.
There is a big movement going on now with the #ToyLikeMe campaign to be more inclusive of children with disabilities and the Iko fits right in with that and even takes it to the next level.
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