Zoe Sagalow, wtop.com

WASHINGTON — A Virginia high school junior has taken a step toward making “Iron Man” a reality.

Conor Maddry, of Langley High School, started by building a bionic elbow brace for last year’s school science fair. After he took it to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, he was inspired to continue the project.

This year, Maddry built a full-body bionic exoskeleton. He said he hasn’t taken any engineering classes, and instead taught himself to build the exoskeleton, learning the necessary concepts on the Internet.

When he took the year’s project to the Intel ISEF, Maddry was awarded the opportunity to present his project at the SmartAmerica Challenge Expo Wednesday afternoon in D.C.

“I’m very, very excited about talking there, because a lot of the people who are going to be there