Because of its ability to effectively combine plastics with a creative, highly useful product, SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association gave the IKO Prosthetic Creative System the SPI Student Design Award as part of the International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) program. The IKO prosthetic arm was designed by a youth-focused prosthetic design company led by Chicago-based designer Carlos Torres. Kim Holmes, SPI’s senior director of recycling and design, presented Torres with the award as part of the Industrial Designers Society of America’s (IDSA’s) IDEA program event in August. 

“The IKO Prosthetic Creative System developed by Torres is a great example of how plastic materials and innovative design can combine to create something that isn’t simply functional, but socially and psychologically empowering for young children with disabilities,” said SPI president and CEO William R. Carteaux.

“By getting beyond creating something that’s simply efficient, and designing something that’s both efficient and attuned to the sociological and psychological needs of the product’s young users, the IKO Prosthetic Creative System is an exemplary product designed with heart and intelligence to more completely meet the needs of its customers, and in that way provides an ideal example to all designers and plastics manufacturers.

“SPI looks forward to what we can expect from IKO and is proud to honor the company and its founder with its Student Design Award, and we thank IDSA and the IDEA program for continually highlighting the innovation and excellence in design that will drive the plastics industry forward,” Carteaux added.

The IKO Creative Prosthetic System enables children without limbs to have a prosthesis that doubles as a toy—specifically a toy that enables them to explore their creativity: Legos. The IKO system is integrated with the world-famous building blocks and allows children the chance to swap out the product’s standard grippers with whatever they can imagine.

According to the IKO entry for the 2015 IDEA program, research showed that kids in need of prostheses were interested in something that could be both functional and fun. “There had to be a right balance between a playful experience and something functional, and moreover something that could allow kids to explore their creativity, something they could be proud of,” the IKO awards entry said. “Using the Lego system was part of the solution, not just because of its creative content but most of [all,] its social feature; this is a toy that gathers people around with a single goal: the pride of creation.”

As part of its award, the designer will receive and all-expense-paid trip for two to SPI’s upcoming Re|focus Recycling Summit & Expo, of which IDSA is a proud partner. Re|focus will focus on innovative design solutions to sustainability problems, in addition to several other recycling-related subjects. SPI congratulates the designer and all the winners of this year’s IDSA awards program.