IoSafe Thunderbolt demo (photos)

In order to witness the demo, all spectators were required to read and sign a release.

They were also required to put their laptops and other electronics into a large antistatic bag for "safety purposes." This later turned out just to be part of a trick; read the blog on the demo to find out more.

The setup includes two large cages made of conducting material. The first cage is half-open and houses a 1-million-watt Tesla coil.

The second case is for spectators to stay inside during the demo to be shielded from lightning bolts and EMP.

The new Rugged Portable Thunderbolt that IoSafe announced at the end of CES 2012 was used for the demo. This drive is the same as the Rugged Portable released a year ago, but now it comes with two Thunderbolt ports, instead of USB or FireWire.

The Tesla coil operator, named Dr. Megavolt, explained how the Tesla coil works.

The drive is loaded with a few data files, including a Word document with random messages picked by the audience.

And the zapping begins. The Tesla coil emitted really loud noises and lightning bolts that ignited two wooden sticks.

And then it's the Rugged Portable Thunderbolt's turn.

The drive was left to be struck by the electrical discharge for few moments.

After that, the drive was hooked back up to the MacBook. Note the green light that shows it's working.

And the messages and other data files were still there. Check out the blog post to read more.