Anyone who's ever had an MRI scan can confirm that the process can be a bit scary. This is doubly true for kids who might not fully understand what's going on. After all, no kid wants to lie motionless in a cold, noisy tube for an extended period of time.
Fortunately, everyone's favorite plastic bricks manufacturer is coming to the rescue. That's right, Lego is making MRI kits to help soothe nervous kids.
Lovatt showed the kit, from the first stages of construction to completion, in this Twitter thread. He described building the kit as a 'small weekend project', explaining that Lego was donating these kits to radiology departments.
While there's no doubt that Lego collectors would want to get their hands on one of these kits, they're not available to the public. Each kit is earmarked for a hospital, and each kit will be donated free of charge.
It isn't that big or complex, but it has more than enough to adequately prepare kids for the MRI experience. You've got the full MRI machine, two qualified doctors to assist, and even those classic light green hospital floor tiles.
Lego kits are great when it comes to serving as 3D representations of different settings. It might be tough to explain what an MRI is to a kid, but a Lego set like this would likely give them a pretty good idea.
In response to Lovatt's tweet, several other creative types shared similar stuff that they'd built. Not all of these kits are made with official Lego pieces, but they all get the point across.
"I'm a biomedical engineer and I have to explain my work in a fun way to my son's kindergarten class," explained this tweet. "I used another brand, but without a doubt Lego develops more creativity in children."
This might not have the whole MRI machine present, but it's a quick and dirty way to show kids what the MRI is all about: lie down and you'll get slid into this machine. It might be loud and cold, but it can't hurt you.
While the company could reap all kinds of goodwill by promoting this set, they've taken a reserved approach. The only reference to the MRI set I could find on any official Lego page comes with a brief mention on its Local Community Engagement page. You can see it towards the bottom of the page.
While the MRI set is a custom-made set, direct from Lego, that's designed to represent a certain setting, this is just a reminder of how great Lego is. Even if you want to build something that Lego has never envisioned, you can do so with the right bricks.
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