He built a nuclear fusion device right at home

An extraordinary feat that borders on science fiction comes from a garage in Texas. With the Fusor project, a young innovator has proven that the limits of what is possible can be pushed. By building a working fusion reactor at the tender age of twelve, Jackson Oswalt has set a new milestone in amateur science and opened up a debate about the accessibility of advanced technologies.

While most 12-year-olds spend their free time playing video games, Jackson Oswalt from Texas, with the help of the Open Source Fusor Consortium, has achieved the unthinkable. After four years of hard work, he successfully built a fully functioning nuclear fusion device in his home playroom. This remarkable project, called Fusor, actually generated real neutrons, confirming that deuterium atoms were fusing together in a vacuum chamber under extremely high pressure and temperature.

Building the Fusor required precise engineering skills and the use of components that his parents helped the teenager finance, totaling approximately €9,600. The heart of the system is a steel chamber where high voltage is used to create plasma. Jackson had to solve the challenges of vacuum sealing and radiation shielding on his own, using specialized sensors to detect neutrons, which are key evidence of successful fusion.

With this achievement, the young researcher made history as the youngest person in the world to achieve nuclear fusion in a home environment. While the Fusor does not produce more energy than it uses to operate, it serves as an invaluable educational model for a clean energy future. Jackson's success proves that with a strong will and access to information, an individual can create technology that is usually reserved for multi-million dollar laboratories.