Madison high schooler’s homemade lightsaber wins gold medal

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Madison high schooler has won an award for building his own lightsaber.

Wisconsin Public Radio reported that Madison Country Day School senior Kaebren Walker’s creation earned him a gold medal at the NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics. The 43rd annual event involved about 500 students competing in categories including science, engineering and the humanities. The winners were announced during the NAACP convention in July.

Jedi Knights in the “Star Wars” movie saga use lightsabers, described by Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi as “an elegant weapon for a more civilized age.” Walker said he got the idea to build a lightsaber while watching “Return of the Jedi.”

It took him 18 months to build the lightsaber and used approaches detailed on You Tube. His creation ignites acetone and methanol, which evaporates in a 3-foot span that becomes the blade. He said it looks like a thin flamethrower.

“It was surreal because I never thought that I would be among these amazing other competitors who genuinely had amazing projects,” Walker said about the competition. “They were working with VR, cameras . . . sensory technology, and here I am. I mean, I made a lightsaber. It came off really complex to other people, and I feel that that kind of gave me a little confidence boost because I’m like, ‘Man, I feel like an actual Jedi.’”