LEGO Donates MRI Scanner Kits To Hospitals To Comfort Kids About The Process
Being in the hospital can be a daunting experience, especially for children, who may not fully grasp why they’re there. Hoping to ease anxieties, the LEGO Group is donating MRI scanner models to hospitals to acquaint young patients with the scanning process and reassure them that it’s not as terrifying as it looks.
The LEGO MRI Scanner was designed exclusively for hospitals and isn’t for sale. It was dreamed up by employee Erik Ullerlund Staehr, who wanted to create a way for medical personnel to prepare children for treatment. The kit, made available last summer, has since been set up around the world for use at hospitals, according to LEGO’s website.
The set “would reduce [children’s] anxiety and make their experience more playful and less scary,” explains the toymaker.
LEGO employee Fraser Lovatt, who was recently tasked to complete one of these builds, says the kit—among others—will be donated to “radiology departments to help children who may be nervous understand the process.”
I have a small weekend project - LEGO is donating model MRI Scanners to hospital Radiology departments to help children who may be nervous understand the process. I get to build one! pic.twitter.com/9C5MzulNtK
— Fraser Lovatt (@fraserlovatt) January 22, 2022
Photos released by Lovatt, spotted by Brick Fanatics, depict a white, blue, and gray setup with two key constructions. The first features the MRI scanner, which a minifig enters, while the other shows a room where a doctor reads the scan’s results.
— Fraser Lovatt (@fraserlovatt) January 22, 2022
Thanks to the customizable nature of LEGO pieces, the scanner can be opened up to educate children about how the machine looks and works.
— Fraser Lovatt (@fraserlovatt) January 22, 2022
Much of fear comes from not knowing, so a visual explainer would certainly help ease those worries.
LEGO isn’t the only company that is drawing from its specialization to comfort children in hospitals. Honda and Rolls-Royce, too, have built mini cars that little ones can “drive” into other rooms.
[via Brick Fanatics and UNILAD, images via various sources]
