Featured Image Credit: William Osman/YouTube
Topics: Health, Social Media, Viral, YouTube
Shola Lee
YouTuber Will Osman decided to build his own X-ray machine after receiving a hefty hospital bill.
Osman was stuck with a $69,000 hospital bill after having treatment that included a two-night hospital stay, an X-ray and a course of antibiotics.
While Osman's insurance luckily paid most of the bill, the content creator and engineer was still left to pay $2,500.
Still, after seeing the amount on the initial bill, Osman decided to build his own machine and document the process – and the results – on YouTube.
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Osman explains in the video how he was curious to see if he could make his own X-ray machine for less than the $2,500 surplus he was charged, along with the cost of his annual insurance plan.
While Osman does admit, "This is the most dangerous contraption I have ever built," it seems he managed to complete the task.
He constructed a working X-ray machine from a $400 power supply, $155 X-ray vacuum tube, some Geiger counters and a roll of sheet metal.
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We'd also like to note that you shouldn't built or undertake dangerous projects involving radiation at home, and that radiation safety/shielding is incredibly important. The output of a high-voltage power supply like the one that Osman is using can be deadly if mishandled.
Osman, who is an engineer, did manage to complete the take within a day, after spending a few months prior gathering components for the project.
Speaking of the project, Osman said that while the machine works, "It's hard to see X-rays, though, so a special sheet of material called an intensifying screen is used to convert the X-rays into visible light, then these photons are captured by a DSLR camera I chose for its extreme low-light sensitivity."
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He then noted that his main concern was the high voltage powering the machine, stating: "I used 40kV silicone insulated wire and surrounded that with additional silicone tubing, and then just stayed away from the tube during operation. After the initial tests, a giant 2mm lead sheet was placed around the tube."
Osman was quick to note the hazards of using a device that emits radiation the body will absorb, as exposure to radiation has been linked to some cancers.
The YouTuber has taken apart the machine since building it as he only intended to use it for 'demonstration purposes', or unless he gets another hefty hospital bill.
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