Robert Downey Jr. gives an ‘Iron Man’ prosthetic arm to a seven year old boy

Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr delivered a real bionic prosthesis to a seven-year old boy named Alex, who was born with a partially developed arm.

The prosthetic arm is part of a project led by Albert Manero, a Fulbright scholar currently pursuing his doctorate in aerospace engineering at the University of Central Florida, which aims to make 3D printed arms more affordable.

The arm was made by Limbitless Solutions, a non-profit prosthetic maker that helps provide 3D printed prosthetics to people around the world who cannot afford them.

The Hollywood star and Manero surprised Alex with a new bionic 3D printed arm at no cost to the family.

After greetings and small talk, Downey and Alex put on their matching bionic arms together. Alex’s worked fine whilst Downey’s blinked.

3D printing has been steadily becoming popular and widely used and this video illustrate the good use it can be put into. The arm cost Manero just US$350 to print, a drastic difference from the US$40 000 that a similar traditional prosthetic would cost.

Downy and Alex were connected through Microsoft One Note’s Collective Project and Limbitless Solutions..

Image: Levi Espino.