I am Iron Man, said little boy

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A five-year-old boy born without a left hand is believed to have become the youngest in the world to receive a bionic hero arm.

Jordan’s life-changing Iron Man-style arm was an “instant confidence boost” for him, his mother Ashley Marotta said.

The custom-made, 3D-printed prosthetic was produced by Bristol-based Open Bionics for Jordan, from Long Island in New York.

“It was an instant confidence boost; the Hero Arm really makes him feel like a superhero and he is superhero obsessed. He then wanted to rush back to his school to show his teachers and friends."

Jordan is over the moon he can grab two objects at the same time now.

Jordan had only used one different prosthetic before but found the lack of functionality very frustrating, Ms Marotta said.

“He is so excited to use it and to be able to control the fingers and grab two objects now,” his mother said.

The prosthetic uses special sensors that detect muscular contractions and turn them into bionic hand movements.

Most children with Hero Arms are aged seven or older, but the bosses at Open Bionics said Jordan’s size for his age and his high IQ – meant it was easy to teach him how to use the Hero Arm, so that he could have one sooner.

Open Bionics describes itself as the only company in the world making multi-articulating hands small and light enough for children as young as Jordan.

It is also the only company to produce bionic arms from the Marvel, Star Wars, and Disney universes thanks to a long-term collaboration with The Walt Disney Company.

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