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SALT LAKE CITY -- Scientists might be rethinking their funding priorities after seeing this.
Student Max Shepherd has constructed an operational prosthetic arm using only LEGO bricks. The arm is designed as an above-elbow prosthesis -- the video on Shepherd's YouTube channel contains a shoulder element, but he goes on to describe that it is only meant to act as a static model, not an operational piece of the construction.
Shepherd's model contains quite a few impressive feats, most notably the similarities to a real human arm. The LEGO brick arm is capable of a free range of motion from the elbow to the fingers identical to that of a human being, including independent finger control and dynamic movement of the thumb and wrist.
"The main purpose of this project was to accurately mimic the full range of motion of a normal human arm and hand," Shepherd writes in the video's description. "The secondary goal was to maximize speed and power, yet maintain a consistent ratio between the two for demonstration purposes."
While the video itself is entirely amazing, this model is nowhere close to becoming an actual prosthetic surgical replacement. The strength in the bricks limits the capabilities of lifting and grasping to small objects such as a water bottle and an empty roll of tape.
