With more than 24 million followers on Facebook and 3.85 million on Twitter, Hollywood film star Robert Downey Jr., known for his role as Tony Stark in the Iron Man movie series, posted on both social media sites today to draw attention to his recent visit with 7-year-old Alex Pring and the UCF engineering students behind Limbitless Solutions.
“Had the absolute privilege of presenting a brand spanking new 3D-printed bionic Iron Man arm to Alex, the most dapper 7-year-old I’ve ever met,” Downey wrote on a Facebook post.
Pring was born with a partially-developed arm and received the first 3D printed robotic arm made at UCF in July.
Robert Downey Jr.’s Facebook post reads, in part: “Had the absolute privilege of presenting a brand spanking new 3D-printed bionic Iron Man arm to Alex, the most dapper 7-year-old I’ve ever met.”
The world-famous actor’s social media messages also thank Albert Manero, a UCF mechanical engineering doctoral student and Fulbright Scholar who leads Limbitless Solutions, the UCF-based team of engineering students and many others who volunteer to make 3D-printed bionic limbs for children at no cost to families.
The posts include a video showing Robert Downey Jr. giving Alex a bright red, Iron Man-styled 3D-printed bionic arm and thanking Manero.
The video is one of several produced by Microsoft OneNote as part of a national campaign called “The Collective Project” that prominently features UCF engineering students on the Limbitless Solutions team. The campaign aims to showcase how technology brings people together to change the world.
To help more children who need 3D-printed limbs, donate to Limbitless Solutions through the UCF Foundation’s giving portal.
