Actor and charity present seven-year old Alex, who was born with a partially developed arm, with 3D-printed robotic arm

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

To most young fans, actor Robert Downey Jr is better known as the beloved superhero Iron Man.

To seven-year-old fan Alex, he’s just Robert.

Joining with the non-profit charity Limbitless Solutions as “another bionics expert”, Robert Downey Jr recently presented a 3D-printed bionic arm to Alex, who was born with a partially developed arm. The bionic arm, built by Albert Manero, is a recreation of Downey Jr’s own Iron Man gear.

Downey posted a video of the encounter to his Facebook page on Thursday, calling Alex “the most dapper 7-year-old I’ve ever met”.

“Half the time, I design one of these, and it keeps breaking on me,” he tells Alex in it, in character as billionaire inventor Tony Stark, the alter ego of Iron Man. “What I do is I keep on working on it, like you’re working on it with Albert.”

“He keeps working and working on it until he gets it right,” Alex replies, smiling shyly.

Downey thanked Manero and Limbitless “for their work making artificial limbs like this more affordable for families with kids who want to show the playground how badass they are”.

Last week, Downey announced the ultimate fan opportunity for those who donate to Julia’s House, a children’s hospice center: live a day in the life of Tony Stark ending in a trip to the premiere of Avenger: Age of Ultron.