YouTuber ends up in the Guinness Book of World Records.
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YouTuber Alex Burkan, who runs the Alex Lab channel, has noisy Iflscience invented something that could have come straight out of a Star Wars movie. With its one meter long plasma blade, which can reach a temperature of around 2,800 degrees Celsius, the first retractable “lightsaber” is now a new entry in the Guinness Book of Records. Alex Burkan, who describes himself as a lifelong Star Wars fan, has always wanted to own his own lightsaber and began working on hydrogen generation plants back in 2013. Meanwhile, according to the science magazine, he came up with the idea of replicating the invented weapon.
The heart of the sword
Burkan explained to the Guinness Book of World Records that the essential component of his invention was the “electrolyser”. ‘An electrolyser is a device that can produce large amounts of hydrogen and oxygen and compress the gas to any pressure without a mechanical compressor,’ says the inventor. According to Burkan, one of the difficulties was making the burner and gas distribution system small enough to fit in the lightsaber hilt. The result is a finished lightsaber that can be used to cut through steel, among other things.
Prototype not yet optimal
According to the science magazine, the prototype of the fictional weapon is already finished, but according to Alex Burkan, it still has disadvantages. “It only works at full power for 30 seconds, the hydrogen lamp isn’t as stable as it could be and you can easily see it moving,” Alex explained, adding, “Sometimes the lightsaber just explodes in the hand because of the hydrogen flashback,” says the YouTuber. Nevertheless, he sees his pilot project positively and can say that his version of the weapon has a great advantage: “Plasma is a stream of highly ironized particles, so this lightsaber can also attract lightning and other high-voltage charges.”
Similar to Alex Burkan, another YouTuber has James Hobson from Hacksmith also built a lightsaber – his variant had to be plugged in to work though. “The Hacksmith version is much more powerful, it definitely works longer than 30 seconds,” Burkan said of his rival. “Our duel would be extremely fast and furious because I only have 30 seconds to win!” says the inventor. (tk)
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