Real Thor's Hammer Trickier Than Comic Book Fiction (Video)

A real version of Thor's hammer – as in Mjolnir from Marvel Comics – has been created (somewhat) by electrical engineer Allen Pan, and only he can lift it off the ground.

The video of Pan's creation, with includes a microwave oven transformer electromagnet, a capacitive touch sensor and a fingerprint sensor that allows only the owner to lift it, has garnered more than 3.7 million views on YouTube since Sunday.



Pan, of course, dressed up the invention in a Mjolnir casing to make it look nearly identical to the hammer made famous in comic books and more recently by Chris Hemsworth's Thor in the movie franchise and "Avengers" series.

"To make the hammer immoveable, (Pan) decided that strong magnets were the best method," said Michelle Starr of CNET.com. "Inside the head of his Mjolnir, he packed a microwave oven transformer electromagnet, which uses electricity to produce a magnetic field." 

"This creates a very strong magnetic pull, strong enough that the hammer, when placed on a metal surface (that can't be lifted, such as a locked manhole cover), feels too heavy to lift."

Pan's thumbprint, which was encoded on the fingerprint sensor, turns off the magnetic field, allowing him to pick up the hammer effortlessly – to the surprise of people who were recorded trying to pick up the invention on Venice Beach, California recently.

Hannah Francis of the Sydney Morning Herald pointed out that Pan's version of Thor's hammer only works when it is placed on metal surfaces. Besides, he has not worked out the trick to make it fly through the air and return to him, like the comic book.

"In the Marvel universe, only those who are truly worthy can hold Thor's hammer Mjolnir," added Max Knoblauch of Mashable.com. "In the real world, however, worthiness can be achieved with some knowledge about magnets and finger print scanners. YouTuber 'Sufficiently Advanced' created perhaps the most accurate Mjolnir replica, in that this one can technically only be picked up by one person."

Hemsworth will not return to his Thor role on screen until 2017 when the third installment of the Norse comic book legend comes to life again in "Thor: Ragnarok."