After building the world’s first functional LEGO® prosthetic arm in 2017, David Aguilar (Andorra) was called “the real-life Tony Stark”. 😎
David, also known as Hand Solo, is a big fan of Iron Man. In fact, his record-breaking LEGO® prosthetic arm was red and yellow, and named MK-I (Mark 1), after Iron Man’s suit. 🤖
David hasn’t stopped building since – his newest version is the MK-V (Mark 5) and it's very high-tech! 🦾
He doesn’t just build arms for himself though. David is on a one man – and one hand – mission to make his LEGO® prosthetic arms widely available to all those in need.
David likes to tell people, as a joke, that his forearm was bitten off by a shark. 🦈😄
The truth is that David was born without it due to a rare illness called Poland Syndrome.
Being different to all the other children made David nervous, but it didn't knock his confidence. Instead, it fuelled his dreams.
"I wanted to … see myself in the mirror like I see other guys, with two hands."
David designed his first prosthetic arm at the age of 9. He decided to build it with what he knew best – LEGO®! 😍
“LEGO® was my first toy as a kid, it felt that you could build an infinite amount of things. Imagination was the only limit!”
Nine years later, aged 18, David designed the MK-I arm using bricks from a LEGO® Technic helicopter set. 🚁
The arm had a grabber for picking things up, which David controlled by bending his elbow.
“My first model isn't motorized, I control it with my muscles and it becomes a bit painful once you spend a long time with it. Good thing is, the MK-I is strong enough to support my weight when performing some push-ups!”
David’s newest model, the MK-V, is even cooler! It’s motorized and has five fingers that David controls by making small movements with his upper arm. 🖐️
“It's the most comfortable prosthetic of my models and I don't need to use my muscles to lift something. The servo motors do it for me!”
David loves to build LEGO® arms for kids
David studies bioengineering at university and his goal in life is to make prosthetic arms that are affordable for everyone.
The news of his Guinness World Records title reached the mother of Beknur, an 8-year-old boy who doesn’t have developed limbs. After contacting David, they travelled to Andorra to meet him, where David built two LEGO® prosthetic arms for Beknur. 💪
It didn’t take long for little Beknur to master his new arms. Now he can play on his tablet and pick up small objects (like other bits of LEGO®!) 😃
It cost David only €15 ($18) to make.
“With Beknur's case, I felt an immense joy and happiness when I saw him moving the LEGO® prosthetic for the first time. He was smiling so hard it was contagious! I feel like if I'm lucky enough to keep building these prosthetics, I can help more children and people around the world.”
David has big plans for the MK-VI and beyond
David has lots of ideas for future prosthetic arms. 💡
His main goal for the the MK-VI is to be able to move the hand and elbow separately.
He’s also planning to upgrade the fingers to make them even more epic!✌️🤟
David is working on a project to tell his story through comic books too. 🦸
They'll feature Hand Solo battling bullies and overcoming all the problems life throws his way! 👊
David's Guinness World Records title was just the beginning - he plans to build more prosthetics, inspire more people and keep helping those in need.
He hopes to make the world a more friendly, accepting and tolerant place to live in. 😊
“Now, children around the world will learn about my story, and hopefully will change the way they think when looking at someone else that doesn't look like them, doesn't matter if they are missing a limb, they have Down Syndrome, autism... Everyone's different, and that's what makes us unique!”
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