( CNN ) 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 did n'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 could n'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 .
`` Iron Man '' star Robert Downey Jr. presents a young child with a bionic arm . The film is based on the Marvel Comics character Tony Stark and his quest to build an indestructible suit of armor that would protect him from harm.