Thread: Robert Downey Jr

Robert Downey Jr. presents child with his own 'Iron Man' robotic arm
By Henry Hanks and Daphne Sashin, CNN
Updated 2333 GMT (0733 HKT) March 12, 2015

Robert Downey Jr
Actor/Director · 24,069,506 Likes · 10 hrs ·



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.
Special thanks to Albert Manero, OneNote, and ‪#‎CollectiveProject‬ for their work making artificial limbs like this more affordable for families with kids who want to show the playground how badass they are. Check out http://www.facebook.com/LimbitlessSolutions to learn more about this incredible project. ‪#‎goodcause

Robert Downey Jr. may be Iron Man in the popular Marvel superhero films, but he recently dealt in some advanced bionic technology himself.

Downey recently presented a robotic arm to young Alex Pring, a Central Florida boy who is missing his right arm from just above his elbow. The arm was made by Limbitless Solutions, a volunteer group started by Albert Manero, a University of Central Florida engineering PhD student, to make free bionic arms for kids.

Through 3-D printing technology, Alex and others have had the chance to get a robotic arm so they can use their limbs again. Alex received his robotic arm in the summer, then later had it upgraded to resemble a "Transformers" arm.

This past Saturday, Alex received an even more impressive gift, from "Tony Stark" himself. Downey met with Alex in an Atlanta hotel room.

The actor showed the child two arms, one from Downey's movies and one for Alex: a real, working robotic Iron Man arm. As they both tried theirs on, they compared the lights inside their palms.

The video was posted Thursday by Downey as well as Microsoft, which arranged the meeting as part of its social media campaign, The Collective Project, celebrating students using technology to change the world. It very quickly went viral on social media.

Alex is 7, in first grade and a huge superhero fan. His mom told him they were going to Atlanta to meet Manero and a specialist who were working on a new arm for the boy.

"He didn't question it much, so we kind of just went with it," his mom, Alyson Pring, told CNN. "Afterward, I asked, 'Why were you so quiet?' He said, 'I was freaking out!' "

After giving him the new arm, Downey invited Alex to hang out with him in Atlanta this summer when he's filming the new Captain America movie.

Manero met Alex through E-Nable, a volunteer network that matches people who have 3-D printers with children who need limbs. Alex's mom wanted to get him a replacement hand because he was being teased.

"Whenever people saw him, they'd say, 'What's wrong with your arm?' " Alyson Pring said. "Now it's, 'Your arm is amazing, you're so cool ... it helps educate people to maybe think twice before saying something like, 'Why are you like that'?"

The prop master for the Marvel movies built the case for Downey Jr.'s arm and the case for the little boy's arm. The college students made the actual arm for Pring, from the design to the painting to the robotics, said David Beauparlant, marketing manager at Microsoft.

"You couldn't even do this stuff not too long ago. It's amazing what the 3-D printing can do," he said.

To find out more about Alex and the Collective Project, here's our recent story on the topic of 3-D printed limbs. http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/06/health...arms-for-kids/

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/03/12/he...eat/index.html

See also http://www.bigbigforums.com/thats-en...34-2014-a.html

Watch the Avengers Bow Down to Robert Downey Jr. at the MTV Movie Awards
“I begged for second chances and literally clawed my way to the top.”
by Joanna Robinson, April 12, 2015

obert Downey Jr. won MTV Movie Awards’ Generation trophy on Sunday but he didn’t have to celebrate alone. His Avengers co-stars Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, and Scarlett Johansson all assembled to present the award and Downey certainly made the most of it.

Downey sort of made light of the award joking, “When the first generation award was given in 2005, I thought simply, ‘Where’s mine?’ And I’ve spent 10 long years patiently awaiting. . . to receive the recognition I’ve so desired.” But the actor, who has been very public about the ups and downs of his career, also took the opportunity to get a little serious saying, http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/...owney-jr-cover

In the 34 years that have passed since the birth of MTV, I’ve grown up, I’ve struggled, I’ve failed. I’ve partied way too much. I begged for second chances and literally clawed my way to the top.

Downey then addressed his fellow Avengers ordering, “Everyone take a knee!” And what Tony Stark wants, Tony Stark gets.



Downey went on to pay his co-stars tribute: “I try to live honorably and never forget my love of the game and my friends… if a man is judged by the company he keeps, I must be doing something right.”

But Downey’s mock demands weren’t the only example of that famous Avengers camaraderie. When introducing a montage of his past work, Johannson joked, “We should also mention that, like Tony Stark in Iron Man, he’s filthy f*cking rich.”

The group also obviously had plenty of fun backstage.



The Marvel portion of the evening concluded with a new Avengers: Age of Ultron clip. This part’s a little less friendly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ww5J...layer_embedded



http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/...v-movie-awards


One of the stories I have heard about RDJ was that going into the second Avengers, his pay was almost doubled... but he learned that
Jeremy Renner and Scarlett Johansson were only getting a tiny bit more then in the last film. He went to the producers and told them that this was a ensemble cast, and that was a quick way to break down the energy between the members. When they said it wasn't in the budget
to give the other actors a raise, RDJ instructed them to deduct the money from HIS OWN PAY. When they balked at that ... RDJ threatened to walk. They found the money.