Student puts other high school science projects to shame.
With a bit of research and tenacity, a high school student by the name of Adam Munich has completed probably one of the most interesting science projects to date: a fully-operational, portable, battery-powered X-ray machine.
Munich was inspired to build the portable device after speaking with two friends online, one of whom lived in Pakistan and complained about the rolling electricity blackouts affecting his country, and another whose local hospital had problems finding a working X-ray machine to help him deal with a broken leg. After doing some research and learning that there actually aren’t any portable, battery powered X-ray machines out there, Munich took it upon himself to build one from scratch.
Munich started this ambitious project by reading online about the inner workings of Coolidge tubes (the radiation-emitting cores of most commercial machines) and was able to buy one from a manufacturer located in China.
“The rest was puzzle-solving,” Munich says. “For something like this, there’s no guide.”
Munich then spent the next two years constructing the X-ray device out of some old art suitcases, chainsaw oil and a mix of electronics he acquired from around the world. And just to be sure he wasn’t going to irradiate himself, Munich also constructed a Geiger counter to measure the device’s output.
The entire device cost Munich approximately $700 dollars, and while he’s only used the device to X-ray some household items, he also believes it could be used for hands and limbs as well. Currently, Munich’s working to make a more durable, cheaper version of his device.
Source: Popular Science
