US: Teen stops playing video games and makes a nuclear reactor at home instead

Washington, Feb 23: A schoolboy has made the headlines recently for doing something unique. Just days short of turning 14, Jackson Oswalt successfully made a nuclear fusion reactor at his home and is believed to be youngest to do so, Fox News reported.

Jackson devoted to his mission by using old parts that he bought on ebay and got all monetary cooperation from his parents who spent between $8k-$10k (Rs 5.6-7 lakh) over a year for getting the materials.

Jackson, a resident of Memphis, Tennessee, took up the ambitious project after he decided not to spend all his time playing games like Fortnite and do some research on nuclear-related things that always fascinated him. He went on to create a machine by using vacuums, pumps and chambers that are capable of breaking down atoms with force that releases fusion energy.

"The start of the process was just learning about what other people had done with their fusion reactors," the teen told Fox News.

"After that, I assembled a list of parts I needed. [I] got those parts off eBay primarily and then often times the parts that I managed to scrounge off of eBay weren't exactly what I needed."

A 14-year-old schoolboy has successfully made a nuclear fusion reactor in his family's spare room.
Jackson Oswalt, from Memphis, is believed to be the youngest person to build a functioning nuclear fusion reactor when he first accomplished the feat aged 12. pic.twitter.com/553AhGy67E

— Srbija Evropa (@srbija_eu) February 22, 2019

"So, I'd have to modify them to be able to do what I needed to do for my project."

During his research, Jackson met Taylor Wilson who at 14 had got international recognition as the youngest person to achieve fusion after building a nuclear fusion reactor at his house garage in Arkansas.

Jackson's dad Chris said he did not have a strong understanding on what his son was working on and in order to ensure that his son's safety was not compromised, he got Jackson speak to experts about the potential hazards that came with the experiment.