Halo
Wake me when you need me...
The Halo franchise has entertained us with games for the last 2 decades (and maybe there was a beloved short series and a panned TV series in there too). From Master Chief's incredible Mjolnir armor to the energy sword and more, we've worked for years to make some of Halo's most incredible tech real.
Hydrogen-Powered HALO Energy Sword
Hacksmith created a real-life, hydrogen-powered HALO Energy Sword, replicating the iconic weapon from the Halo series. By adapting a custom hilt with our lightsaber plasma technology, we could actually create a sword capable of cutting through almost anything. That said, it wasn't wireless - and with multiple plasma blades we aren't sure it ever could be truly wireless -- but it's a possibility in the future and we're actively looking into it.
Master Chief's Helmet with Heads-Up Display
In addition, the team built a Halo Master Chief helmet complete with a heads-up display, providing a real-life perspective akin to that of the game's protagonist. This tech not only has real world implications, but has already become closer to reality with recent innovations in AR/VR tech and goggles/glasses/screens capable of running more advanced software than ever before (e.g. Apple Vision pro).
MA5 Railgun
Hacksmith also undertook the construction of a Halo Infinite MA5 Railgun, one of our most powerful weapons - and a true fan favorite from Halo. The railgun uses hand-wound electromagnetic coils to launch projectiles at incredible speed. But to do this, we need to turn the magnets in the barrel on and off in VERY rapid succession or they're just going to pull the projectile backward after a brief period of forward acceleration once activated. Individual controllers need to be sequenced automatically, and all of this has to happen in fractions of a second - which is why we have the controllers using light sensors to interpret information from the projectile's path. If any of these elements misfire, the projectile could travel backwards FAST or even catch fire. All of this handles an enormous amount of power, even more than our original lightsabers. Winding individual coils took a load of time, but it was the only way to get exactly what we wanted -- these aren't exactly items you can buy off the shelf!
After getting every component together, Charles was able to fully assemble the weapon and prepare it for a test fire. Spoiler: It's still not light, but it's very wieldable.
Destructively speaking, it won't be winning any awards right now -- but that's on purpose. Due to government regulations in Canada, we can't build ultra powerful railguns. Who knew?
Inspiration
The Halo franchise stretches back to the turn of the 21st century, and through multiple game publishers. We're constantly inspired by the tech from these games and there will be more projects planned in the future around this series! Stay tuned.
Many Halo technologies available
Halo is one of the most popular game franchises of all time, and we aren't nearly done re-creating its iconic technologies, weapons, armour sets, and vehicles...
Do you have a project idea? Share it with us to see it become real
We know we have a creative and ingenious audience. Some of the projects we made real come from our fans' idea. You can submit a project idea and, if it's both realizable and we like it, you may see if soon on our YouTube channel.