Maths student builds 'miniature fusion reactor' in his bedroom with help of AI
Hudhayfa Nazoordeen, a maths undergrad at the University of Waterloo, built a fusor in his bedroom with the help of Anthropic's Claude 3.5 Sonnet AI assistant he fed data to. Going by a series of tweets he shared explaining the entire process, he created the whole set-up from start to end in his bedroom over a series of weeks.
Hudhayfa Nazoordeen, a maths undergrad at the University of Waterloo, built a fusor in his bedroom with the help of Anthropic's Claude 3.5 Sonnet AI assistant he fed data to. Going by a series of tweets he shared explaining the entire process, he created the whole set-up from start to end in his bedroom over a series of weeks. Suffice it to say, the achievement in itself is huge and Nazoordeen's having done so in the confines of his bedroom in just weeks is commendable.
How did the maths student build a miniature nuclear reactor in his bedroom?
in a couple weeks, i built a nuclear fusor in my bedroom ¨C with zero hardware experience
¡ª HudZah ? (@hud_zah) August 23, 2024
the secret? Claude sonnet 3.5 + projects
a glimpse into the process below pic.twitter.com/H4261f5bCy
In layman's terms, a fusion device is made of an electrostatic field that accelerates ions to a point where they eventually fuse. There are finer details that need attention. For instance, creating a high vacuum in order to reduce collisions with other particles. Then you need high voltage to create the electrostatic field that will help fuse the ions. And most importantly, you need, fusion fuel like deuterium gas to drive the process.
Nazoordeen shared he had no prior hardware experience so he took a week to understand the design and how to use McMaster-Carr hardware and tools.
"in a couple weeks, i built a nuclear fusor in my bedroom ¨C with zero hardware experience
the secret? Claude sonnet 3.5 + projects
a glimpse into the process below," he captioned the post. In a thread, he explained the entire process:
Week 1 he dedicated to figuring out the parts and design:
originally inspired by @oliviali_ to build this, i was hyper obsessed in making this exist within 10 days of construction
¡ª HudZah ? (@hud_zah) August 23, 2024
week 1: figuring out parts, design and navigating mcmaster carr pic.twitter.com/5LgsIJoTAQ
Week 2 was 'go' time when the parts arrived:
week 2: parts arrive, time to build. started with main chamber design and the half bridge rectifier pic.twitter.com/OedQkCKlPI
¡ª HudZah ? (@hud_zah) August 23, 2024
In week 3 he tried setting up the equipment in his bedroom
actual week 3: setup system in bedroom. figuring out how to connect a neon sign transformer
¡ª HudZah ? (@hud_zah) August 23, 2024
didnt own a multimeter lol so we used an arduino to check continuity. pic.twitter.com/k5CyxwO4dS
In week 3.5, he fed the AI some data:
week 3.5: setup vacuum and measuring system using an MKS-901p transducer. i fed Claude all my datasheets and it helped a TON with this
¡ª HudZah ? (@hud_zah) August 23, 2024
insanely was able to get down to 25 microns of pressure after hunting down several vacuum leaks for an entire week. this was by far the most¡ pic.twitter.com/WWvSbY09zm
Week 4 meant a little more hunting for parts
week 4: hunting for a proper NST! called up every neon sign store in the city and found a nice 12kV one in redwood city.
¡ª HudZah ? (@hud_zah) August 23, 2024
got plasma by the end of the day pic.twitter.com/GY1nMFFVWS
He also thanked everyone who helped him
i feel extremely lucky to be surrounded by an incredible group of cracked engineers.
¡ª HudZah ? (@hud_zah) August 23, 2024
thank you to @_yashkarthik and @AryanAfrouzi for teaching me how to solder. @oldestasian for saving me from getting electrocuted. @usrbinishan for helping machine things. and to all the others¡ pic.twitter.com/O1PTDAPA6i
How did the internet react?
The post was shared on X on August 24, and has so far raked in 1.8 million, 8,879 likes, 6237 bookmarks and comments to match. Here, we share the best of them. Take a look:
If you need help feel free to PM. You are learning, but aren't close to fusing yet.
¡ª Michael Liesenfelt (@DrLiesenfelt) August 24, 2024
No more Teflon tape on fittings or RTV on glass. Use Hysol 1C or TorSeal. I close my vacuum system and it leaks <10torr per year! Yes, per year. Calculate and improve leak rate by measuring¡
this is great! share more of how claude helped you?
¡ª Logan Graham (@logangraham) August 23, 2024
(I run a team @AnthropicAI eval'ing advanced capabilities like this, we loved seeing this thread this am)
Officer I assure you this deuterium is for a science project
¡ª Aydin (@aydinwastaken) August 23, 2024
i thought you did a lot on the solar village / a-frame / night market project! hardware¡¯s a lot about execution :)
¡ª Danielle Fong ????? (@DanielleFong) August 24, 2024
*firing up claude now*
¡ª ? (@nathanguergis) August 23, 2024
Inspiring stuff! Thanks for sharing.
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Tanya Sirohi is the Trending section lead at Indiatimes. She likes to write on a range of topics including viral stories, UFO sightings and exploring life on Mars.
