Bionic arms are not only real and functional, they’re even being delivered straight by Iron Man nowadays. We’re not talking about any wannabe in a cheap knock-off suit either because the one who did the delivering was Hollywood actor Robert Downey Junior himself. Thanks to RDJ and CollectiveProject student Albert Manero, a 7-year old disabled boy named Alex is now rocking a new and shinny 3D printed bionic arm that looks just like the right arm of the Iron Man suit, albeit smaller.
Alex’ right arm was only partially developed when he was born, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying life and superhero movies. He seems to especially love Iron Man and was definitely excited to meet Robert Downey Junior in person, but then again, so would most of us. The actor had an Iron Man gauntlet of his own and asked Alex to compare it with his new 3D printed bionic arm, and wouldn’t you know it, Alex’s arm was better. The advanced prosthetic courtesy of Microsoft’s CollectiveProject even features a working light in the palm of the hand, so it’s as close to the real thing as a 7-year old (or actually anyone) can get. Meanwhile, RDJ’s palm light seemed to be malfunctioning. Hope he fixes that in time for Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Microsoft says that the 3D printed bionic arm costs only about $350 to develop, which is much, much cheaper than any similar prosthetics. However, Albert Manero and RDJ decided to offer Alex the Iron Man gauntlet as a gift and as you already know, you can’t put a price tag on a gift. Check out the video below in which Iron Man gives Alex the 3D printed bionic arm and try not to cry while you’re at it.
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