February 16, 2026
High voltage, higher drama
Portable 1MV X-ray system combines Cockcroft–Walton with Van de Graaff dome
Portable million‑volt X‑ray barrel sparks DIY hype—and “AI video” backlash
TLDR: A lab built a portable million‑volt X‑ray rig that can snap fast, field‑ready images, shrinking room gear into a barrel. Commenters split between excited DIY retrofit dreams and a pointed callout that the video shows odd industrial fans—sparking a “real breakthrough or slick stock footage?” showdown.
A lab says it shrank a room‑filling X‑ray setup into a barrel you can haul around, and the comments instantly split into two camps: garage tinkerers revving their drill batteries and footage sleuths calling shenanigans. The device, nicknamed PHOENIX, blends two old ideas—voltage‑multiplying electronics and a static‑electricity dome—then fires a laser‑triggered switch to unleash a quick zap of X‑rays for imaging bridges, pipelines, or even tiny test blasts.
One commenter flexed serious maker energy, bragging about a dusty garage “static dome” and musing about bolting on a high‑voltage stack to revive it. That set off a wave of “can I build this at home?” jokes, with the subtext: finally, old school science fair gear goes pro. On the other side, a sharp‑eyed skeptic zoomed in on a clip showing a room full of giant fans, asking if it was random stock—or even AI‑generated—because what do big blowers have to do with portable X‑rays? Cue the is this real or glossy lab hype? debate.
Between the 150‑pound “commercial” unit and a trailer‑size security version, fans cheered the field‑ready promise—flash images on demand, from every nanosecond to every hour—while skeptics hammered the video aesthetic. It’s half science triumph, half comment‑section courtroom, and 100% peak internet spectacle.
Key Points
- •PHOENIX is a portable x‑ray system that combines a Cockcroft–Walton generator with a Van de Graaff dome for compact, high-voltage operation.
- •The Cockcroft–Walton circuit replaces belt-driven charging, making the system vacuum compatible and eliminating moving parts.
- •A laser-triggered micro-cathode releases stored charge, generating electron beams that create x‑ray pulses captured by a digital detector.
- •The system can produce flash radiographs with flexible timing—from nanoseconds to hours between shots.
- •Two versions exist: a 150-pound commercial unit and a larger flatbed trailer–mounted model for national security uses.