Mjolnir, also known as Thor’s hammer, is a discerning thing, at least if you believe the modern Marvel canon. [alemanjir] decided to build a semi-functional replica that makes judgement calls of its own, though they’re perhaps a little less thought-out than the storied hammer of legend.

The build consists of a 3D-printed hammer prop, inside of which is a Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller running the show. It’s hooked up to a MPR121 touch sensor that detects when someone grips the handle of the hammer. At this point, the Pico makes a pseudorandom “worthiness check” as to whether the holder is righteous enough to wield the hammer. If they are pure of heart, it unlocks a magnet which frees the hammer from whatever metallic surface it might be stuck to. [alemanjir] also included a little additional functionality, with the hammer playing various sounds when swung thanks to a speaker and a ADXL345 accelerometer secreted inside.

One wonders whether the electromagnet inside is strong enough to hold out against an unworthy person lifting it from the ground. While it’s perhaps not as powerful or as decisive as the mythical object, it’s nonetheless a fun learning project that likely taught [alemanja] some useful basics of embedded development.

We’ve featured some terrifying takes of the Mjolnir prop before, too, like this shockingly high voltage version. Video after the break.

An ongoing refrain with modern movies is “Why is all of this CG?”– sometimes, it seems like practical effects are simultaneously a dying art, while at the same time modern technology lets them rise to new hights. [Davis Dewitt] proves that second statement with his RC movie star “robot” for an upcoming feature film.

The video takes us through the design process, including what it’s like to work with studio concept artists. As for the robot, it’s controlled by an Arduino Nano, lots of servos, and a COTS airplane R/C controller, all powered by li-po batteries. This is inside an artfully weathered and painted 3D printed body. Apparently weathering is important to make the character look like a well-loved ‘good guy’. (Shiny is evil, who knew?) Hats off to [Davis] for replicating that weathering for an identical ‘stunt double’.

Check out the video below for all the deets, or you can watch to see if “The Lightning Code” is coming to a theater near you. If you’re into films, this isn’t the first hack [Davis] has made for the silver screen. If you prefer “real” hacks to props, his Soviet-Era Nixie clock would look great on any desk. Thanks to [Davis] for letting us know about this project via the tips line.