Seven year old Alex Pring is just like every other kid. Except he happened to be born with a partially developed right arm.
When Aerospace Engineering graduate, Albert Manero, heard about Alex's story, and about countless other kids like him, he wanted to do something that would help them be kids again.
He began the Limbitless program, which is one of the branches of The Collective Project. As part of the program, Manero created custom 3D printed prosthetics for kids with underdeveloped limbs, like Alex, or for amputee children.
But this day was particularly eventful, not only for The Collective Project, but for young Alex, who was going to be given the treat of his life. None other than Tony Stark, genius, billionaire, philanthropist (stress philanthropist for this occasion) was on hand to deliver a special gift.
Decked out in a classy, gray suit and tie with sunglasses, actor Robert Downey Jr. never breaks character, keeping serious and cool as his on-screen alias, Tony Stark. He introduced himself to young Alex as an expert in bionics and opens up a metal suitcase labeled Stark Industries.
Inside the case, are two high-tech looking prosthetic arms. The bigger one is the identifiable arm belonging to the Iron Man suit, and next to it is a smaller version in red and gold.
Smiling from ear to ear, Alex acknowledges that it's really Iron Man delivering a new arm for him. But everyone chuckles when, instead of saying his name is Tony Stark, he calls him by his real name, Robert.
Alex tries on his cool, new arm, and "Robert" got in on the action too, wearing his own arm, Iron Man style, explaining to Alex that he's probably going to hire Manero to join his team because whenever he wears his bionic arms, they break on him.
"I think yours is a little bit better than mine because at least, you know, the lights work," Robert/IronMan tells Alex.
This meeting certainly went much better than another encounter a few years ago when the child broke down in tears when RDJ showed up out of his Iron Man suit.
In addition to getting Tony Stark hand-deliver bionic arms to children, Manero also hopes that the Limbitless program will be able to provide 3D printers in embassies around the world so that children in developing countries in need of low-cost, custom prosthetics will have access to the technology.
As an endnote, Tony Stark/Iron Man/"Robert" adds that he may even get Manero to start building his bionic suits at a lower cost. Afterall, he can certainly help him save a few bucks since each Iron Man suit costs Stark Industries at least a billion and a half dollars.
