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How to Build a Faraday Cage Helmet

A Faraday cage is a protective device that shields the interior from extremely high voltages. It is named after Michael Faraday, who discovered principles of electromagnetic fields. Electrons flow over the surface of a conductor since they are negatively charged and repel each other. This principle is used to provide a protected room for workers in a high-energy environment, like a cyclotron and, in theory, it can be used for personal protection. A Faraday cage helmet is a technologically advanced version of a tin foil hat.

Things You'll Need

Vacuum vapor deposition chamber
Full-face motorcycle helmet with clear visor
Gold
1970s-era disco suit
Cape (optional)

Instructions

- 1
  Clean the helmet exterior with alcohol to remove any traces of grease, oil or salts. Handle it with gloves to prevent any contamination while placing it in the vacuum chamber. Wind several inches of gold wire around the flash heating element, but avoid any connection between the chamber wall and the heater. Close the chamber and start the vacuum pump. This applies to the evaporative deposition method. If you use a cathode arc machine or a pulsed laser, first read the instructions on the back of the box.
- 2
  Make several deposits of gold vapor onto the helmet, moving it each time so the coating is evenly applied. As the film is only a few molecules thick, the visor can be coated without losing transparency. After applying the gold surface, spray some clear acrylic over the helmet to protect the soft metallic surface.
- 3
  
  A disco suit.
  
  Plan an entire protective suit, because a helmet is only part of a total Faraday shield system. Without an effective ground, a Faraday helmet merely channels a high-energy voltage around the helmet, discharging it through the body to the ground. Less than 1 ampere through the torso can stop the heart; a lightning bolt, for example, may contain thousands of amperes. That's enough energy to convert blood to steam instantaneously.
- 4
  Adapt a 70-era gold disco lame (pronounced "lah-may") suit as a pattern. If you're unfamiliar with the era, watch "Saturday Night Fever" with John Travolta. In fact, if you can find a gold lame disco suit, it can go into the vacuum vapor deposition chamber too. The bell-bottom trousers are especially good for dissipating electronic pulses once they are coated with conductive material. Be certain the hems touch the ground so electrical discharges do not go through your feet.
- 5
  Add a cape for both sartorial splendor and static electricity dissipation. Use the same waist length design as Elvis Presley, rather than a full-length magician's cape. Again, coat it with gold conductive material in the vacuum vapor deposition chamber. Just like a jet aircraft, it serves as a static wick to eliminate static charges.

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