That galaxy far, far away has seemingly found its way into reality via one savvy YouTube channel by the name of Alex Lab - emphasis on the "lab" portion. The Russian engineer, named Alex Burkan, is a true Tony Stark, designing and modifying various technologies for highly produced videos he posts to an audience of over 850 thousand subscribers. Burkan denotes his creations in the about section of his channel as "hydrogen generators, engines, and Iron Man suit."
While that latter name drop might be of incredible interest to Marvel comics enjoyers, Star Wars fans were welcomed with an enticing treat come June 2020, when Burkan released a video titled simply "First real lightsaber." The traction on this particular entry has no sooner skyrocketed, allotting the Russian engineer a respectable 1 million views.
Burkan's creation, while stellar content for YouTube and easy marketing for a channel potentially less known in the states, has now become named the first-ever retractable lightsaber in the world by Guinness World Records.
The creation is marked with the tell-tale hilt of a Star Wars canon lightsaber, producing a retractable lightsaber blade that can reach up to 1 meter (3.28 feet) in the length of plasma. Steel likewise doesn't stand a chance to Burkan's design, as the nearly 2,800 degrees Celsius (that's 5,072 degrees Fahrenheit) is a plasma blade you certainly don't want to touch.
For those unaware, Star Wars features a religious band called the Jedi, who are likewise opposed via the Sith. Both factions wield what are called lightsabers, powerful blades of energy that can cut through nearly any surface. While the Sith are mainly restricted to the red hue, Jedi often varies in their lightsaber colors as the type denotes Jedi's inner personality.
In the video, Burkan aptly points out within the description, "Each Jedi must build his own lightsaber by himself..." thus, he did just that. In his own words, he denotes to Guinness how the concept ultimately took form and what major pieces were the hardest to conceive:
"The key component of my lightsaber is an electrolyser. An electrolyser is a device that can generate a huge amount of hydrogen and oxygen and compress the gas to any pressure without a mechanical compressor."
Related Article: Disney Teases Realistic, Retractable Star Wars Lightsaber
Burkan began the development of the hydrogen generator and the necessary equipment back in 2013. His adoration for Star Wars slowly but surely seeped into his love of engineering, which then gave him an idea, one that would inevitably land him among the Guinness World Record holders.
The Russian YouTuber isn't the first to devise such an iconic piece of weaponry. James Hobson produced his own version of a real lightsaber on his own channel, titled Hacksmith. This iteration, however, is more so a plug-and-play type of device, requiring the wielder to connect it to an outlet.
When compared to its rivals, Burkan's concept may seem limited, but it's actually incredibly advanced, necessitating several years' worth of development in its internal distribution system for the gas and burner, which had to fit nicely within a handheld hilt. Burkan's idea does have its drawbacks, though, as it only stays lit for around 30 seconds, but that shouldn't hold back the ingenuity of the endeavor.
"It works for only 30 seconds on full power, the hydrogen torch is not as stable as it could be and you can easily see it when it moves," Burkan relays. "Sometimes the lightsaber just blows up in your hand because of hydrogen flashback."
The retractable lightsaber patent is only one of several varying engineering feats produced by Alex on his channel. Most boisterous is his design and full creation of the Iron Man suit, for which he has also acquired over 1 million views and ample acclaim.
While Burkan's lightsaber may not have the tell-tale hue associated with most accompanying lightsaber toys as well as the defined edges, it's still a legendary feat, one that many considered generally impossible with modern standards of engineering. Where Burkan's mind will go next is anyone's best guess.
