Do not DIY: "Mythbusters"-inspired rocket knife makes the cut

Watch as a rocket-powered knife glides down the homemade track, slicing through everything from toy trucks to whole chickens. 

If you consider yourself a “Mythbusters” fan, then you must remember the episode when the hosts used a rocket-propelled sled to split a car in two. Their experiment confirmed the myth and inspired a generation to solve its own mysteries. YouTuber The Backyard Scientist used this memorable episode as inspiration for his own rocket knife experiment. Watch as his rocket-powered knife glides down the homemade track, slicing through everything from toy trucks to whole chickens. Myth busting is best left to the professionals; don’t try this at home.

About the Author

Alexis Gajewski

Alexis Gajewski

Senior Content Strategist

Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.

During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry. 

Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.

She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.

Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.

Connect with Alexis on LinkedIn

Sign up for our eNewsletters
Get the latest news and updates