It is this thing that electrical engineer Allen Pan, AKA Sufficiently Advanced on YouTube, made a decision to reproduce in his very own take on a “working” Mjolnir. He decided to use the strong magnets to make the hammer immoveable, as that was the best method. He filled a microwave oven transformer electromagnet that uses electricity to produce a magnetic field inside the head of his Mjolnir. This in turn produces a strong magnetic pull, which is so strong that when the hammer is put on a metal surface, it feels very heavy to lift. The handle is attached to a capacitive touch sensor, which in turn is attached to an Arduino Pro Mini and a solid state relay, which works as a switching device. The electromagnets switches on immediately when someone grasps the handle, attaching the hammer to the metal surface. However, a fingerprint sensor that is keyed to Pan’s thumbprint can be used to turn off the hammer. But the magnets switches on when Pan holds the hammer. Then it switches off again when he moves his thumb over the sensor, letting Pan to lift the hammer.
Pan challenged unsuspecting passersby on the streets of Venice Beach, California to lift the hammer. One must say it is quite an impressive prank.
