Modern Mjölnir

In one of my all-time favorite quotes, Arthur C. Clarke once said that "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

Maybe that's how Thor's hammer seems to many who've read about it in Marvel Comics or seen it in The Avengers and Thor films: it's a magical object that only Thor can wield…Or, it was.

Now, Allen Pan, a young engineer with too much time on his hands, has created his own version of the mythical Mjölnir that only he can lift.

Pan’s hammer uses a pair of 12 volt batteries to power strong electromagnets (from a microwave oven transformer) along with a touch-sensitive handle that turns them on. The handle also has a  fingerprint reader which allows him to be the “chosen one” who can lift the hammer. It only works  if it’s sitting on a metal surface, but it works really well.

You can see details and a video HERE: