This right here is what science is all about. Biomedical engineers at Cambridge University want to build artificial bones. Better yet, they want to automate the process. One way to do this is to drop a grip of cash on a robot designed for repetitive tasks like the one required for growing faux bones... but why do that when you can build a robot yourself with Legos on the cheap?
"Research is a funny thing," explains engineer Michelle Oyen in the video up top, "because you might think that we order everything up out of scientific catalogues." She continues:
But actually, a lot of the things that we use around the lab are household items, things we've picked up at the local home-goods store, and so our [Lego] robots just fit in with that mindset.
The importance in science is the creativity in going forward, it's not, exactly, what tools you use to get there.
Preach it, sister.