Robert Downey Jr. Delivers Iron Man Inspired Bionic Arm to Kid
This may look like Iron Man’s arm, but it is a gift for a lifetime for Alex. People at Microsoft OneNote, Limbitless Solutions, and the Collective Project took inspiration from Marvel Universe and made a 3D printed and fully-functional bionic arm based on Iron Man’s very own gauntlet.
This 3D printed arm created by Limbitless Solutions is an engineering students’ non-profit organization from the University of Central Florida. Limbitless Solutions make 3D printed limbs for children.
3D printing has been one of the fastest growing manufacturing technologies of recent past and it is seeing a huge application in medical sciences. Last year, world’s first 3D printed vertebra implant took place in China.
Robert Downey Jr. met Alex, 7, last week to share the bionic arm with him and shared the following video on his Facebook page:
Limbitless Solutions was started in May 2014 by Albert Manero, a graduate student from the University of Central Florida. This was possible due to Microsoft OneNote’s Collective Project. A Design-A-Thon was organized by the team where students got involved in this project.
The US Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention estimates that about 1,500 children are born with deformities in hand each year in US.
Also read about the world’s first all-in-one 3D printer scanner da Vinci 1.0 Aio.
A prosthetic hand for a child costs up to $40, 00 and children outgrow them pretty soon. Albert Manero’s make these 3D printed bionic arms for $80-$400 and donates them for no cost to the children all over the world.
These students have a 3D printer in their University Lab which they use to print the bionic limb and each one of these take about 30 to 50 hours to make.
If you want to support these students and this noble cause, follow the link to their website.
Read our special coverage on 3D printing here.
Source: Microsoft Office Blog
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