Featured Image Credit: alex_burkan/Instagram
Topics: Marvel, Technology
Callum Jones
A man from Russia has been building a 'real-life Iron Man' suit with a hydrogen reactor for six years all from the comfort of his own garage.
While Robert Downey Jr is the name that immediately comes to mind when you think of the Marvel superhero, casting directors really need to look no further than one particular guy instead.
Alex Burkan has been working on an extremely ambitious project over the past six years, as he's been attempting to create a functioning Iron Man suit.
Burkan started with pencil sketches and a small clay model in his bid to create a real-life version of the Marvel icon.
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When he began the project in 2018, the engineer confined himself to 'a cave with a box of scraps' and began work on making the project come to life.
He's even been using a hydrogen reactor to help aid his project, instead of an actual arc reactor.
He has been keeping his fans updated on YouTube, explaining how he goes about building the Iron Man suit.
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Burkan said in one YouTube video: "I assembled several electrolysers, which split water into hydrogen and oxygen and produce high-octane fuel gas mixture for the suit.
"Then I realized that the electrolyser can be used not only as a source of fuel, but also as a compact but powerful compressor, which means it can be used to activate artificial muscles and other pneumatic stuff."
The engineer recently provided an 'October update' on his progress as he penned on Instagram: "I had to master casting. I tried to avoid this for many years, because I knew that casting is indeed a fragile and expensive process.
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"But this seems to be the only way to make the helmet as light as I need it to be.
"Therefore, I dedicated this few months to mastering new technology. Master model on a 3D printer, silicone mold, composite shell, 2K plastic for rotocasting, fiberglass, carbon, Kevlar. But most importantly, in the end I was able to achieve the coveted 700g!"
Many Marvel fans have flocked to social media after seeing Burkan's work.
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"Wow, this is amazing. I wonder if Elon Musk has met Alex? Very interesting," one person said while a second added: "He is awesome! He's been doing it for a while. He also has a channel that goes DEEP into how he does what he does."