---
title: "Engineers Create Plasma-Powered Lightsaber That Can Cut Metal"
description: "YouTuber \"The Hacksmith\" made a Star Wars style plasma powered lightsaber that can cut through metal. Learn more about this invention."
date: "2020-10-15"
modified: "2020-10-21"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/engineers-create-plasma-powered-lightsaber-cut-metal"
categories:
  - "Robots and Machines"
tags:
  - "lightsabers"
  - "star wars"
  - "star wars technology"
  - "the digest"
---

# Engineers Create Plasma-Powered Lightsaber That Can Cut Metal

![The engineers behind the YouTube "the Hacksmith" have crafted a real-world "Star Wars"-style lightsaber that burns hot enough to cut through steel.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/engineers-create-plasma-powered-lightsaber-cut-metal.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: The Hacksmith\</em\>*

## Still Coming Through

The engineers behind the YouTube channel "The Hacksmith" have crafted a real-world "Star Wars"-style lightsaber that burns hot enough to cut through steel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC6J4T_hUKg&feature=youtu.be

## Laminar Flow

Team lead James Hobson says it's the "world's first retractable plasma-based lightsaber" — and for now, we're willing to take his word on that.

The steampunk hilt can send out a laminar flow of compressed liquid propane gas and oxygen, which burns at 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

To allow it to burn in such a specific way, the team used "laminar nozzles," which allow an extremely concentrated flow of gas to escape, creating a beam of plasma. These nozzles cost a pretty penny — about $4,000 each — and are often used in the glass-blowing industry.

## Melt Steel Beams

Thanks to the addition of some special salts, the beam can be turned into different colors, including yellow, green, and red.

The lightsaber does need an external power pack. To recreate the energy put out by the lightsabers we see in the movies, Hobson says you'd need as much power as from a nuclear plant.

And yep, turns out it's as powerful as it sounds. In a demonstration, the lightsaber was capable of burning right through a steel door.

**READ MORE:** [YouTuber creates real-life ‘Star Wars’ lightsaber that slices steel](<https://nypost.com/2020/10/13/youtuber-creates-real-life-star-wars-lightsaber-that-slices-steel/>) \[*New York Post*\]

**More on the Hacksmith:** *[Watch This Adorable Mini Cybertruck Drift in the Snow](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/adorable-mini-cybertruck-drift-snow-video>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)