Russian YouTuber and engineer Alex Burkan has once again sparked a social media frenzy in his quest to perfect the Iron Man suit he built. Burkan, who has been deemed the real-life Tony Stark, has been working on the project since 2018.Recently, he unveiled the blueprints of a new hydrogen reactor to power the suit after previous models failed to generate sufficient energy. In a recent clip shared on his social media where he describes himself as an “Engineer, building Hydrogen Iron Man suit” he highlighted how he was developing the new hydrogen reactor, designed to mimic the arc reactor as shown in the comics and movies.“Remember, the hydrogen reactor in my suit is an electrolyser that, under the influence of electric current, decomposes water into hydrogen and oxygen. That is rocket fuel and oxidiser in one bottle,” explained Burkan.He further illustrated that the resulting gas can be used as a fuel for all sorts of hydrogen gadgets, ranging from hydrogen torches to small repulsors, the signature weapon of Iron Man.
Who is Alex Burkan?
Alex Burkan, a Russian engineer gained limelight for his journey of creating the Iron Man suit. He spent six years constructing the armor from scratch, using scrap metal and tools in his garage. Unlike the millionaire Tony Stark, Burak conducts his experiments in a humble garage with a hands-on approach. Till now, he has successfully created plasma thrusters and sensors for the suit.His YouTube channel ‘Alex Lab’, documenting his journey has already gained 1.78M subscribers. What began as simple sketches has now transformed into a journey combining technology and engineering that has the world waiting with bated breath.
Burkan who seems to be a huge fan of sci-fi movies, has achieved similar feats before. In 2022, he created the world’s first retractable lightsaber that produces a plasma blade measuring over 1m in length and reaching temperatures over 2,800 degrees Celsius. The blade has the ability to cut through steel. “All my life I was a great Star Wars™ fan and the lightsaber was my most-wanted gadget,” said Alex.The first step in the process was designing and building high-pressure equipment which could then be adapted for his lightsaber. “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,” he shared in an interview.After numerous experiments, he was able to adapt the hydrogen and oxygen burner so it formed the shape and length required for his lightsaber. He then had to create a compact and powerful version of it so that it could fit the handle. In the end, Burkan was able to create the lightsaber he says is the Starkiller lightsaber from ‘The Force Unleashed’ game!Thus, with his Iron Man suit too, one can trust that one day, he will be flying high in the sky, decked in red and gold.
