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Tony Stark Delivers Real 3D-Printed Bionic Arm To 7-Year Old Iron Man Fan

Posted by samzenpus on from the but-I-wanted-repulsors dept.

MojoKid writes "Here's your feel-good story for Thursday afternoon. Albert Manero, who has a degree in Aerospace engineering from the University of Central Florida and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Mechanical Engineering, has made it a point to serve others. He helped found Limbitless Solutions, a volunteer foundation that uses 3D printer technology to build bionic arms for children that have either lost a limb, or were born with partially developed limbs. Seven-year-old Alex fits into the latter category and Manero, with the help of the Microsoft OneNote Collective Project, has been hard at work to develop a new 3D-printed bionic arm for him. And once the project was finished, Microsoft and Manero were able to find the most "qualified" person on the planet to deliver the arm to Alex: Tony Stark AKA Iron Man Robert Downey Jr. Awesomeness ensues, of course.

43 comments

  1. I AM by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    IRON MAN !!

  2. Far less of a jerk than Ironman by jfdavis668 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Robert Downey Jr. is far less of a jerk than he plays on screen. Way to go, to make this kid's dream come true.

    1. Re:Far less of a jerk than Ironman by freeze128 · · Score: 4, Funny

      I just hope the kid tests the arm at 1% power before doing anything dangerous....

    2. Re:Far less of a jerk than Ironman by Rakarra · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Robert Downey Jr. has been through hell and back. He and Treat Williams were good actors who dropped off the scene in the 80s and 90s after falling prey to substance abuse. Downey cleaned up and managed to make his way back to the top. Williams was not so lucky. He had a good role in Everwood, but he didn't make it up to A-list status.

      I always felt that Downey, with his past drug and alcohol addictions, was a great choice to play Tony Stark, the subject of "Demon in the Bottle" fame. They touched upon Stark's alcoholism in Iron Man 2, but didn't really give it the treatment it could have gotten.

    3. Re:Far less of a jerk than Ironman by pr0t0 · · Score: 1

      RDJ just got serious points with me. I'll bet the list of requests he must get to do things like this is unending. Very, very cool of him to take the time. I couldn't help but be a little disappointed when Alex said his name was Robert instead of Tony.

      --
      I'm sorry, but your opinion seems to be wrong.
    4. Re:Far less of a jerk than Ironman by Chas · · Score: 4, Interesting

      In a couple places I've seen people dismiss RDJ as "a druggie who got lucky".

      Sorry, but cleaning up your own life is not LUCK. It's hard fucking work. As hard, or harder, than anything else he's ever done in his life.

      But now, he's famous (possibly pigeon holed) for playing a character who makes technology COOL!
      This opens up the opportunity, in this case, for an important medical technology to be presented in an attractive, funny, approachable way.
      Incidentally it also gives this kid a thrill and makes his life better simultaneously.

      And RDJ CHOOSES to participate in this sort of thing. Furthering the coolness of technology

      That, right there, is "class act".

      --


      Chas - The one, the only.
      THANK GOD!!!
    5. Re:Far less of a jerk than Ironman by l0n3s0m3phr34k · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I do feel that RDJ's personal experiences really did help with Stark's PTSD issues in IM2. He tried to get them to go into the alcoholism more, but the studio said "no". But I could tell he was pulling on his real, addict-year experiences there in those scenes...and it came across as very authentic. And his "Did you just nod off?" comment to Mandarin in IR3 was VERY pointed for us who have been or are close to people who have fought with addiction. RDJ has fought a very difficult battle; no matter what others may think even with all his $$$ getting yourself clean is a hard fight with internal demons. If anything, having all that money and fame probably made it harder for him to go sober...

      In a weird way, he personally is an example to others that addiction can be managed and "defeated" to the point of having a "real" life. The war is NEVER won completely, the cravings NEVER go away...seeing anyone climbing back up the ladder and taking the reins of "the wagon" like he has is inspirational.

    6. Re:Far less of a jerk than Ironman by l0n3s0m3phr34k · · Score: 1

      I'd say for a famous Hollywood person, it's more difficult than others. He's got the money and the fame to get anything he could possibly want; he can't just walk away from all his "enablers" and "fellow addicts" but must continue to work with them. Breaking out of that must have been far more difficult than any role he's every done...and IM3 allowed him to show it a bit, I don't think all his PTSD emotions were all just acting. I'll say he probably had a worse time during those first few "sober" weeks / months...it actually made my skin prickle a bit...I've seen almost the same look in the eyes of addicts who have also fought and become sober.

    7. Re:Far less of a jerk than Ironman by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I think Alex made some big points with Robert Downy Jr. when he didn't call him Tony. I was impressed too... it makes Alex not just a "fan" but a connoisseur of the Iron Man movies.

      It would be neat if Alex got a cameo in a future IronMan movie.

    8. Re:Far less of a jerk than Ironman by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I know an actor that turned down the role to be the lead in The 6th Sense. He turned it down because he lost his father at a young age and his mom didn't want him playing a role that was so close to home. Downey may have done the same regarding alcoholism.

    9. Re:Far less of a jerk than Ironman by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In a couple places I've seen people dismiss RDJ as "a druggie who got lucky".

      It also seems unfair to call him that since he's a capable actor. He's certainly better than many other A-List actors.

    10. Re:Far less of a jerk than Ironman by Rakarra · · Score: 1

      I'd say for a famous Hollywood person, it's more difficult than others.

      Maybe, maybe not. You're certainly surrounded by temptation in Hollywood, but given the number of abusers in the system, I think you're more likely to get a second chance in Hollywood than in many other industries. It's a place where your talent can rocket you quickly to the top. Most people in most industries, even extremely talented people, will toil in obscurity for their whole lives. Employers will look at their resumes, see the red flags, and dump 'em.

  3. Once in a while a good story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Albert Manero; kudos for a good job.

    Robert Downey Jr. : SuperHero is just a job. Being way cool is the real deal.

  4. 3D printed arm? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Or Luddite arm with Luddite motors and PCBs and Luddite batteries with 3D printed cowling?

    1. Re: 3D printed arm? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      You are misusing the word "luddite". A luddite is extreme. A luddite doesn't use a typewriter, a luddite smashes your typewriter with a rock, then feels guilty for having used a rock as a tool.

    2. Re: 3D printed arm? by Rakarra · · Score: 2

      You are misusing the word "luddite". A luddite is extreme. A luddite doesn't use a typewriter, a luddite smashes your typewriter with a rock, then feels guilty for having used a rock as a tool.

      The Luddites weren't Amish. Even that would be a caricature of Amish beliefs. What the Luddites were against were -new- technologies taking over jobs. They were fine with the technology they already had, not so fine with shifting tides making them obsolete.

    3. Re: 3D printed arm? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wouldn't mind having my skills become obsolete (via new technology) so long as I can still have clothing, private shelter, good food, good medical care, air conditioning, access to a decent car when I need it, a computer, a smart phone, and access to spending money for indulgences like movies and new toys/software.

      But, it would seem that having obsolete skills means I get the shaft, and an unpleasant (and sooner-than-necessary) death in abject poverty.

      So....if that is what I was facing...I might be a Luddite too. If I can't find work that gets me what I want, and I can't have what I want without work, you bet I will try to legislate to make work available to me.

    4. Re: 3D printed arm? by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      The Luddites weren't Amish. Even that would be a caricature of Amish beliefs. What the Luddites were against were -new- technologies taking over jobs. They were fine with the technology they already had, not so fine with shifting tides making them obsolete.

      That's not so different from the Amish then, after all.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    5. Re: 3D printed arm? by Catbeller · · Score: 1

      A Luddite was a worker in Victorian England who saw his livelihood and life being destroyed by industrialists who themselves became so wealthy the entire era became eventually known as the Guilded Age, as in gold.

      Luddites didn't want to stop history, nor did they hate technology, or its benefits. What they WANTED was a piece of the pie that was taken from them - they wanted some relief from the horror that awaited anyone in England/Ireland/Scotland/Wales who no longer had an income. They were right; the era was a grinding hell for those whose centuries-old existence was eradicated by the industrialists. Charles Dickens was on the ground fighting for those people, for one; he immortalized their suffering and death in his stories, as well as agitating for their care.

      The only relief for those whose lives were destroyed was death, eventually. London became a crowded hell for those fleeing the countryside. Crime went up, pollution was a horror (clouds of it causing mass deaths in the city on occasion).

      What stopped it? The very thing that destroyed agrarian existence, industry, created the capability of much more active destruction - world war. Part one and two, really the same damned war, fought over foreign resources to fuel home economies. That war caused enough hell that the people actually fought for, and got, tax-funded relief from job destruction and industrial changes. Of course, they're reversing all that now - and it's working out very well for a tiny number of people. The rest are kinda going back to the way it useta be...

    6. Re: 3D printed arm? by Catbeller · · Score: 1

      That is exactly what a Luddite was. Someone who wanted a piece of the new wealth as his job was taken from him to make others wealthy. Especially when that "someone" is most of the population and the "others" are a fraction of one percent of that population.

      If you lost your job and were not a Luddite, you're either inheriting a piece of your forebearers' wealth created in boom times, or you're suicidal.

    7. Re: 3D printed arm? by IndustrialComplex · · Score: 1

      Amish will use new technology if it is required. The main aspect of their culture isn't specifically the avoidance of technology, but avoiding the accoutrements of pride and vanity.

      If a technology is necessary and can be incorporated without disruption (or requiring a connectedness to the 'English' world) it quite often is. Refrigeration technologies powered by propane is one of the more obvious examples. Obviously it varies from sect to sect and some are more restrictive than others.

      --
      Out of modpoints but really liked a post? 1BDkF6TtmmeZ3yqXbz9yhdYVqRYnwFoXDj
    8. Re: 3D printed arm? by Rakarra · · Score: 1

      Amish don't avoid technology. They avoid any -use- of technology that they suspect will degrade the family and community units, so high tech might be fine for one situation but not for another. Therefore, a phone for socializing is no good. But a phone for emergency doctor calls is not contrary to their beliefs.

  5. What's the word I'm looking for? by billybob2001 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Great story, great guys, but what about that glitch?

    The super-hero's robotic arm was faulty.

    That's... irony, I guess.

    1. Re:What's the word I'm looking for? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's... irony, I guess.

      I cringed

  6. Whaa whaa by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Someone has beef with 3D printers I see.

    1. Re:Whaa whaa by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Pretty much. He throws this tantrum every time he's faced with incontrovertible proof that 3D printing not only can be useful, but is, each and every day.

  7. Albert is doing amazing work by laird · · Score: 5, Informative

    Albert Manero at his team at UCF are doing a great job. One bit I want to add: the community that he's working in is e-NABLE ( http://www.enablingthefuture.o... ). The "one note" stuff is just a Microsoft sponsorship deal, done after-the-fact, and while their financial and marketing sponsorship of Albert's work is awesome (his work takes time and money, even if he gives the results away for free), it would be better to credit the actual community that contributed to the design, not the made up community that MS created for marketing spin. In particular, the hand used in the Limitless design is Flexy Hand (http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:242639) by Gyrobot, who's a very cool guy who deserves some credit for his work.

    --
    Enable 3D printed prosthetics!
    1. Re:Albert is doing amazing work by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Now I wonder if RDJ came only after Microsoft asked him to.

  8. Re:I need help, Slashdort by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Lol thank you

  9. Re:yep by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Only Americans will

    No true statement has ever started out this way.

  10. Re: yep by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Only Americans should be able to legally vote in America.

  11. Re: yep by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You changed a word. :P

  12. Want list by breman · · Score: 1

    I'm not missing any limbs, and I am thankful for that, however, when I saw this post, the first thing I thought of was how cool it would be if.

  13. Winning comments by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I love reading the comments on stories like this. Like the "this is the American exceptionalism that really works." one.

    Because other countries have functioning healthcare systems where personal charity and number of facebook likes does not determine whether or not you get a prosthetic limb.

    1. Re:Winning comments by ray-auch · · Score: 0

      You're missing the point - you can get a prosthetic limb on the NHS but it won't be delivered by f***ing Iron Man will it? And when it breaks, will Iron Man fly in through you roof to fix it, and then depart through your wall, leaving holes you'll treasure forever ? - no, thought not. This isn't boring old extract money from your taxes to pay for health care stuff, this is _Hollywood_, it's the all American exciting and fun way to extract money from your wallet for the same shit you watched last year in order to pay for one kid to get a new arm.

      Only one kid gets an arm, of course, because provided you make sure he looks good on camera, you can just reuse the shots again and again. Sucks if you aren't the one, but hey that's Hollywood, ya shouldn't have been ugly or a loser...

  14. The smile on the kids face... by Kaitiff · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Said it all. I"m 49 years old, and if RDJ had stopped by to reprise his role as Tony Stark to bring ME a prosthetic limb, I doubt I coulda stayed still. :) Giving a little kid with a birth defect a working arm like that... well you accumulate karma points pretty damn fast doing stuff like that.

    --
    If I sound stupid, it's not me talking....
    1. Re:The smile on the kids face... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Damn, it's getting dusty in here.

  15. Re:yep by 3.5+stripes · · Score: 2

    Only Americans will become president of the united states.

    --


    He tried to kill me with a forklift!
  16. Should be called "Palace of Prostheses" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Innit

  17. Helo by minhtrangpeo15 · · Score: 0

    http://thammyvienuytin.net/got...