#weaponshacks

2022-04-18

Gun Safe Made Safer With Lithium Battery Upgrade

A proper gun safe should be difficult to open, but critically, allow instant access by the authorized party.[Dr. Gerg] got a SnapSafe and discovered that, while it was quite easy to use, it would also lock the owner out easily whenever the batteries would run out. Meant to be used with four AAA batteries and no way to recharge them externally, this could leave you royally screwed in the exact kind of situation where you need the gun safe to open. This, of course, meant that the AAA batteries had to go.

Having torn a few laptop batteries apart previously, [Dr. Gerg] had a small collection of Li-ion cells on hand - cylindrical and pouch cells alike. Swapping the AAA battery holder for one of these was no problem voltage-wise, and testing showed it working without a hitch! However, replacing one non-chargeable battery with another one wasn't a viable way forward, so he also added charging using an Adafruit LiPo charger board. One 3D printed OpenSCAD-designed bracket later, he fit the board inside the safe's frame - and then pulled out a USB cable for charging, turning the battery into a backup option and essentially creating an UPS for this safe. Nowadays, the safe sits constantly plugged into a wall socket, and [Dr. Gerg] estimates it should last for a few weeks even in case of USB power loss.

When you read about hacking gun safes, it's usually because of their poor security, with even biometric models occasionally falling victim to prying fingers. There's talk about moving the locking features into the guns themselves, but we remain skeptical. "Powering an electronically locked box with internal batteries" is a fun problem, and just recently, we've seen it solved in a different way in this intricate voice-activated lockbox.

#weaponshacks #firearm #gunsafe #liion #lithiumionbattery #pistolsafe #safe

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2022-03-14

Beautiful Engineering In This Laser Unit From a Tornado Jet Fighter

Those of use hailing from the UK may be quite familiar with the Royal Air Force's Tornado fighter jet, which was designed to fight in a theoretical nuclear war, and served the country for over 40 years. This flying deathtrap (words of an actual serving RAF fighter pilot this scribe met a few years ago) was an extremely complex machine, with state-of-the-art tech for its era, but did apparently have a bit of a habit for bursting into flames occasionally when in the air!

Anyway, the last fleet is now long retired and some of the tech inside it is starting to filter down into the public domain, as some parts can be bought on eBay of all places. [Mike] of mikeselectricstuff has been digging around inside the Tornado's laser head unit, which was part of the bomber's laser-guided missile subsystem, and boy what a journey of mechanics and electronics this is!

Pulse-mode optically pumped YAG laser

This unit is largely dumb, with all the clever stuff happening deep in an avionics bay, but there is still plenty of older high-end tech on display. Using a xeon-discharge-tube pumped yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) laser, operating in pulsed mode, the job of the unit is to illuminate the ground target with an IR spot, which the subsequently fired missiles will home on to.

Designed for ground-tracking, whilst the aircraft is operating at speed, the laser head has three degrees of moment, which likely is synchronized with the aircraft movement to keep the beam steady. The optical package is quite interesting, with the xeon tube and YAG rod swimming in a liquid cooling bath, inside a metal housing. The beam is bounced around inside the housing using many prisms, and gated with a Q-switch which allows the beam to build up in intensity, before be unleashed on the target. Also of note is the biggest photodiode we've ever seen -- easily over an inch in diameter, split into four quadrants, enabling the sensor to resolve direction changes in the reflected IR spot and track its error. A separate photodiode receiver forms part of the time-of-flight optical range finder, which is also important information to have when targeting.

There are plenty of unusual 3-phase positioning motors, position sensors, and rate gyros in the mix, with the whole thing beautifully crafted and wired-up military spec. It is definitely an eye opener for what really was possible during the cold war years, even if such tech never quite filtered down to civilian applications.

We've seen a few bits about the Tornado before, like this over-engineered attitude indicator, and here's the insides of an old aircraft QAR (Quick Access Recorder)

Thanks [Zane] for the tip!

#teardown #weaponshacks #laserrangefinder #optical #photodiode #tornado #yaglaser

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2022-03-10

The Fliegerfaust Roars Back to Life After 77 Years

As their prospects for victory in the Second World War became increasingly grim, the Germans developed a wide array of outlandish "Wonder Weapons" that they hoped would help turn the tide of the war. While these Wunderwaffe obviously weren't enough to secure victory against the Allies, many of them represented the absolute state-of-the-art in weapons development, and in several cases ended up being important technological milestones. Others faded away into obscurity, sometimes with little more then anecdotal evidence to prove they ever even existed.

One of these forgotten inventions is the Fliegerfaust, a portable multi-barrel rocket rocket launcher designed for use against low-flying attack planes. Although thousands were ordered to defend Berlin in 1945, fewer than 100 were ever produced, and there's some debate about how many actually survived the war. But that didn't stop [Jonathan Wild] of Wild Arms Research & Development from building a functional replica of the weapon based on contemporary documentation and blueprints.

Building the launcher was relatively straightforward, as it's little more than nine tubes bundled together with a handle and a simplistic electric igniter. The trick is in the 20 mm (0.78 inch) rockets themselves, which are spin stabilized by the exhaust gasses exiting the four angled holes on the rear. With no fins or active guidance the path of each rocket is somewhat unpredictable, but this was known to be true of the original as well.

Note angled exhaust ports on each rocket.

Historical records disagree on how the rockets were actually fired, some state each barrel was ignited in sequential order while others claim the rockets were launched in volleys. [Jonathan] decided to design his igniter circuit so that all the rockets would be triggered simultaneously, but due to variations in the propellant, they leave the launcher at the staggered pace seen in the demonstration video below.

From a purely historical standpoint, this project is an absolute triumph. Considering the weapon was last known to have been used during the Battle of Berlin, there's an excellent chance that no living person had seen or heard one fired up until this point. Of course we'll never know how it compares to the real thing, but at least we have more context than a few B&W pictures could provide. [Jonathan] says he's currently working on a book that details how the researched and built his replica, which we're eager to get a look at.

For those wondering about the legality of such an endeavour, [Jonathan] has been in close contact with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) and made sure all Local, State and Federal laws were followed during the development and testing of his replica. As there is no explosive warhead in the rockets and the launcher doesn't used a fixed ammunition, this device would appear to fall into the same category as a cannon or muzzle loading rifle -- which technically are not considered firearms in the United States. That said, there's certainly some room for interpretation here and specific laws can vary by State, so dabbling in homebrew Wonder Weapons isn't recommended unless you've got a good lawyer on speed dial.

#history #weaponshacks #rocketlauncher #worldwarii #wwii

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2022-01-25

Building a Lightsaber and Scoring a World Record, Too

As we all know, the lightsaber is an elegant weapon, for a more civilized age. [Alex Burkan] is doing what he can to bring that technology to fruition, and even secured a Guinness World Record in the process.

Melty melty.

The build relies on an electrolyzer, splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen gas which is stored in a small tank. This gas can then be released and combusted in a burning stream, creating a weapon with a vague resemblance to a movie-spec lightsaber. With the hydrogen torch burning at temperatures of thousands of degrees, it's hot enough to melt steel just like in the films.

While the concept of operation is simple, actually building such a device in a handheld size is incredibly difficult. [Alex] highlights key features such as the flashback arrestor that stops the gas tank exploding, and the output nozzle that was carefully designed to produce a surprisingly long and stable flame.

The resulting device only burns for 30 seconds, so you've only got a short period of time to do what you need to do. However, unlike previous designs we've seen, it doesn't use any external gas bottles and is entirely self-contained, marking an important step forward in this technology. Video after the break.

[Thanks to Chuckz for the tip!]

#weaponshacks #electrolysis #hydrogen #lightsaber

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2021-12-12

Kinetic Strikes Via A Consumer Grade Drone

Kinetic projectiles are a seldom-used weapon of war, consisting of heavy metal slugs dropped from a great height by aircraft. On the way down to the ground, they pick up enough speed to kill enemy troops and even penetrate light armor. [i did a thing] tried to replicate this simple technology using a consumer drone.

The kinetic projectiles were made on a lathe, using 1045 steel as a good balance between hardness and machinability. Simple mild steel is far too easy to blunt, while tool steel was beyond the machining capability of the tools on hand. Simple fins were added using materials sourced from the local hardware store.

The build relied on a DJI Mavic 2 drone, which has lights on the bottom that can be turned on and off remotely. Thus, for a quick and easy remote-drop system, [i did a thing] hooked up an Arduino Uno to monitor those lights using a simple light sensor. When the Arduino detects the lights switching on, it moves a servo which unlatches a hook holding the hardened steel dart beneath the drone.

Ideally, the dart would be dropped from an altitude of 600 meters, allowing it to reach its terminal velocity of around 432 km/h. However, in testing, the darts were highly inaccurate, which made drop tests unsafe beyond around 100 meters high.

However, even from this lower altitude, the 200 gram metal slugs were able to penetrate the roof of a Holden Commodore automobile, becoming embedded in the floor of the vehicle. Such testing is incredibly dangerous; had the projectiles hit a human, injuries could have been serious or even fatal.

Regardless, it serves to show just how easy it is to drop a payload from a modern remote-control drone. We've seen similar projects before, done with some elegant finesse. Video after the break.

#dronehacks #weaponshacks #drone #multirotor #weapon

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2021-11-15

Propel Paper Planes, Bisect Sausages With Electromagnets

Are you still launching paper airplanes using your hands? That's like a baby's toy! [Tom Stanton] and his homebrew electromagnetic rail launcher are sure to bring your paper airplane game into the 21st century.

To be fair, these kinds of linear motors can be used for more than just launching paper airplanes, and can already be found in niche industrial applications, mass transportation systems and roller coasters. And, yes, the potential to leverage electromagnetism in the theater of war is also being vigorously explored by many of the world's superpowers in the form of Gauss rifles and railguns. In the meantime, the video (after the break) proves that it's entirely possible to build a rudimentary yet effective linear motor in your makerspace, using relatively basic components and fundamental physics.

In short, these launch systems use electromagnetism and well timed electronics to propel a mass of magnetic material down a straight (or sometimes curved) track. Multiple pairs of coils are placed along the track, with each pair subsequently energized by high current as the payload approaches. By using many coils in succession, the mass and its payload can be accelerated to high speed.

While a homemade rail launcher is unlikely to turn the tides of war, [Tom Stanton] explores their lethal potential with an experiment involving high-speed video and supermarket sausages, with gruesome results.

If you're looking for more, why not check out our our previous coverage on electromagnetic weaponry?

[Thanks to Feinfinger for the tip]

#science #weaponshacks #electromagnet #linearmotor #railgun

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2021-11-14

Those Bullet Effects in Terminator 2 Weren’t CGI

Remember Terminator 2? Guns were nearly useless against the murderous T-1000, played by Robert Patrick. Bullets fired at the "liquid metal" robot resulted only in a chrome-looking bullet splash that momentarily staggered the killing machine. The effects were done by Stan Winston, who died in 2008, but a video and short blurb shared by the Stan Winston School of Character Arts revealed, to our surprise and delight, that the bullet impact effects were not CGI.

How was this accomplished? First of all, Winston and his team researched the correct "look" for the splash impacts by firing projectiles into mud and painstakingly working to duplicate the resulting shapes. These realistic-looking crater sculpts were then cast in some mixture of foam rubber, and given a chromed look by way of vacuum metallizing (also known as vacuum deposition) which is a way of depositing a thin layer of metal onto a surface. Vacuum deposition is similar to electroplating, but the process does not require the object being coated to have a conductive surface.

These foam rubber splash patterns -- which look like metal but aren't -- were deployed using a simple mechanical system. A variety of splashes in different sizes get individually compressed into receptacles in a fiberglass chest plate. Covering each is a kind of trapdoor, each held closed by a single pin on a cable.

To trigger a bullet impact effect, a wireless remote control pulls a cable, which pulls its attached pin, and the compressed splash pattern blossoms forth in an instant, bursting through pre-scored fabric in the process. Sadly there are no photos of the device itself, but you can see it in action in the testing video shared by the Stan Winston School, embedded below.

When you're done checking out the video, maybe take a peek at this fan's effort to create a T-800's arm.

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A post shared by StanWinstonSchool (@stanwinstonschool)

#classichacks #weaponshacks #cgi #specialeffects #stanwinston #t2 #terminator

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2021-10-26

Spider-Man Swings A Little Closer To Reality

Despite reading Hackaday daily and seeing the incredible things that people do, something comes along that just sort of blows you away every once in a while. Sometimes it's just technically impressive, but often it is just, "I didn't think that anyone would try this or even think of this." [Joel Creates] is one such example with his Spider-Man wrist-mounted web-shooters.

Previously, [Joel] had built a web-slinging system based around a pressurized tank of hot glue worn like a backpack. What it lacked in miniaturization, it made up for in functionality. However, [JT of Build IRL] created a grappling-based Spider-Man system that fired ropes which got [Joel] thinking that perhaps the hot glue and the grappling system could be combined for a smaller overall package.

His solution is quite simple. Old CO2 cartridges filled with glue and a small nozzle drilled in are loaded into a quick-connect fitting. The hot glue is heated via an induction coil on a small tool belt before loading. A thermally insulating layer of paint and micro-vacuum spheres on the canister helps [Joel] place it in the wrist shooter without burning himself. A bike tire inflator with a lever-activated system forms the main assembly of the shooter. Using compressed air, the system fires a glob of hot glue at a surface and a metal web-shaped disk with holes and a rope attached to the blob of hot glue. As the glue rapidly cools, the metal disk provides a lot of surfaces for the adhesive to hang onto. Overall, the results are pretty impressive, but the engineering challenges make for an exciting journey. Everything from failed prototypes to failed power supplies seems to happen on this build.

Combined with some electromagnets, you could really have the whole spider package.

Thanks [Carson B] for sending this one in! Video after the break.

#toyhacks #weaponshacks #hotglue #spiderman #webshooter #webslinger

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2021-10-01

Giant Working NERF Gun Runs on Tiny Arduino

Well, here it is: a shoe-in for the new world's largest NERF gun. (Video, embedded below.) The Guinness people haven't shown up yet to award [Michael Pick], but at 12.5 feet, this baby is over twice as long as the current record holder, which belongs to former NASA mechanical engineer Mark Rober and his now-puny six-foot six-shooter.

We have to wonder if it is technically bigger than the six-shooter, because they seem to be roughly the same scale, except that [Michael] chose a much bigger model to start from. The main body is made from wood, and there are a ton of 3D-printed details that make it look fantastically accurate. The whole thing weighs over 200 pounds and takes at least two people to move it around. We especially love the DIY darts that [Michael] came up with, which are made from a PVC tube inside a section of pool noodle, topped off with a 3D printed piece for that distinctive orange cap.

Propelling those darts at around 50 MPH is a 3,000 PSI air tank connected to an Arduino Pro Mini that controls the trigger and the air valves. While [Michael] hasn't run the thing quite that high, it does plenty of damage in the neighborhood of 40-80 PSI. As you'll see in the video after the break, this is quite the ranged weapon. Watch it blow a hole clean through a sheet of drywall and much more.

Want to build something with a bit more stealth? Make it death from above with a NERF quadcopter.

#arduinohacks #weaponshacks #arduino #arduinopromini #nerfgun #poolnoodle #pvc #worldslargest

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2021-09-07

New Engines Could Propel The B-52 Beyond Its 100th Birthday

First taking to the skies in April 1952, and introduced into the US Air Force in 1955, the B-52 Stratofortress has since become a mainstay of American air power. Originally developed as a nuclear bomber to carry out the critical deterrence role, changing realities saw it delivering solely conventional munitions in actual operations.

Of 744 B-52s originally built, 76 remain in service with the Air Force and Air Force Reserve. This fleet is set to go on flying beyond the type's 100th birthday, into 2050 and beyond. To reach that milestone, a new engine package will be key to keeping these birds in the air.

Built Nuclear Tough

A U.S. B-52H Stratofortress in flight over the Persian Gulf in 2019. Note the black contrails commonly seen from the eight engines of the B-52.

Despite its age, the B-52 is still regularly flown and kept in prime combat readiness. Part of the reason for its long service is that the Buff, or "Big Ugly Fat Fella", as it's known, was intentionally overengineered and overbuilt. Created in the era of slide rules, designers wanted to ensure that the plane would be able to deal with the stresses of the high-altitude nuclear attack mission. Leaving enough margin in the design has meant that despite flying for decades, the B-52s still in service still have plenty of structural life left in them.

The B-52 is known for its distinctive layout of eight engines in four separate two-engine pods. Equipped with Pratt & Whitney TF33-PW-103 engines, the bomber boasts a range of 8,800 miles (14,162 kilometers) without refueling. However, the last of these engines was built in 1985, and continuing to produce parts and maintain the engines is becoming a hassle.

Thus, the Air Force seeks a new engine with which to power the remaining fleet. Indeed, it's not for the first time either. The first B-52s built actually flew with a variety of Pratt & Whitney J57 turbojets, before the TF33 turbofan was rolled out with B-52H production in 1961. Since then, the USAF has investigated the prospect of engine replacement multiple times. Once ahead of the development of the B-1 bomber, and again in 1996, and both times, the project was rejected. Since then, the engines have only gotten older, thus leading to the USAF opening up its request for proposals once more in 2020.

Flying Farther and Smarter

In order for the refit to make sense, the Air Force is seeking a replacement program that will net an engine that is cheaper to operate. These savings could come from increased reliability, easier maintenance, or simply better parts availability. The engine should also be quieter, and perhaps most importantly, more fuel efficient. Jet engine technology has moved on a long way since the TF33 was developed in the 1950s, and thus newer designs could bring great benefits to the B-52 platform.

The B-2 Spirit, pictured here flying next to a B-52 Stratofortress, is a more modern and stealthier aircraft than its predecessor. However, high running costs and the fact only 20 were built mean that the B-2 is not able to supplant the B-52 in regular operations.

There's little desire for more thrust or greater speed, due to the limitations of the aging B-52 airframes. However, a more efficient engine could enable even longer range and greater loiter times than are already possible with the B-52. The hope is to boost range by 20-40 percent, up to 12,320 miles without refueling. This could allow the B-52 to reach any point on Earth without support from a tanker aircraft.

The other major benefit is that the new engines will come with digital engine controls. These systems monitor every aspect of an engine's health, from turbine inlet and outlet temperatures, to shaft speeds, and just about everything else. When dealing with the maintenance of eight engines on each aircraft, having a digital system to monitor what's failing and what needs to be changed is a huge help to ground crews. As a bonus, any problem fixed ahead of time is one that doesn't derail a training program or active mission. Given the cost of these operations, it's a saving that's difficult to quantify accurately, but one that pays dividends nonetheless.

May The Best Engine Win

The Air Force aims to order 608 new engines for its fleet, with General Electric, Rolls-Royce, and Pratt & Whitney are the three players vying for the contract. Based on those numbers, that's eight engines for each of the 76 B-52s still in service today. Thus, it seems likely the plan is to stick with an eight-engine setup, despite four larger engines being a more typical solution on modern aircraft. Each company proposed an engine in the 20,000 lbf thrust range. General Electric put forward its CF34-10 and Passport engines, Rolls-Royce the F130, and Pratt & Whitney a version of its PW800. These are all smaller engines that one would typically see in applications such as small regional or private jets.

It’s hoped that greater fuel efficiency could reduce the B-52’s dependency on aerial refueling during its missions.

Each company is obviously eager to win the lucrative contract to re-engine the B-52. Rolls Royce have already been testing their F130 contender since 2019, well before the official announcement of the program, while GE and Pratt & Whitney are also busy touting their respective engines. Military procurement is big business, and fierce battle will go on behind closed doors before the ink is dry on the contracts.

Ask any engineer who worked on the B-52 program back in the 1950s as to whether their aircraft would be flying in 100 years time, and you'd likely draw a chorus of raucous laughter. However, it just so happens that the B-52 does a job and does it well. Given that replacing it would require the development of an expensive new aircraft, something that the Air Force has struggled with in recent decades, it's clear the Buff will still soar the skies for a while yet. For the pilots and crews responsible for running the grand machine, hopefully new engines will make that duty a little easier in the years to come.

#hackadaycolumns #weaponshacks #aircraft #b52 #b52stratofortress #bomber #military #militaryaircraft

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2021-07-26

Get Some Close Air Support With A Nerf Drone

Working from home has the major advantage of spending more time with loved ones, but it all that time can sometimes lead to friction. [Cory] found that Nerf battles with his kids is an effective way to blow off some steam, but felt he was getting a bit too much exercise in the process. Instead, he equipped an FPV quadcopter with a 3D printed Nerf gun to take his place.

Since manually reloading the Nerf gun after every shot wasn't an option, he needed to create an autoloader. The darts are propelled by a pair of brushless drone motors mounted side-by-side, with just enough space for a dart the squeeze between. The motors are allowed to spin up, and then a dart is loaded servo-operated plunger, out of an off-the-shelf Nerf magazine. The motors ESCs and servo is controlled by an Arduino Nano, which receives the fire command from one of the spare outputs on the drone's flight controller. To nerf gear is easily removable from the drone, so [Cory] to also fly the drone on more peaceful missions. See the video of one of the battles after the break. [Cory] might need to find an alternative control location to prevent himself being used as cover by his adversaries.

Nerf guns are a fun and harmless way to live out your sci-fi warfare fantasies, especially with the technology we have available these days. From FPV sentry guns to auto-aiming rifles, and heavy artillery, anything is possible.

The HackadayPrize2021 is Sponsored by:

#dronehacks #thehackadayprize #weaponshacks #2021hackadayprize #drone #nerfgun #quadcopter

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2021-06-07

Automated Sentry Turret For Your Secret Lab

There are few things as frustrating when you're trying to get some serious hacking done than intruders repeatedly showing up without permission. [All Parts Combined] has the solution for you, with a Kinect-based robotic sentry turret to keep them at bay.

The system consists of a Microsoft Kinect V2 connected to a PC, which runs an app to do all the processing, and outputs the targeting information to an Arduino over serial. The Arduino controls a simple 2-axis servo mount with an electric airsoft gun zip-tied to it. The trigger switch is replaced with a relay, also connected to the Arduino.

The Kinect V2 comes with SDKs that really simplify tracking human movement, and outputs the data in an easy-to-use format. [All Parts Combined] used the SDK in Unity, which allows him to choose which body parts to track. He added scripts that detect a few basic gestures, issues voice commands, and generates the serial commands for the Arduino. The servo angles are calculated with simple geometry, using XY coordinates of the target received from the SDK, and the known distance between the Kinect and turret. When an intruder enters the Kinect's field of view it immediately starts aiming at the intruder's heart, issues a "Hands Up!" command, and tells the intruder to leave. If the intruder doesn't comply, it starts an audible countdown before firing. [All Parts Combined] also added a secret disarming gesture (double hand pistols), which turns the turret into an apologetic comrade. All it needs is a Portal-inspired enclosure.

It's a fun project that illustrates how the Kinect can make complex computer vision tasks relatively simple. Unfortunately the V2 is no longer in production, having been replaced by the more expensive, developer focused Azure Kinect. We've covered several Kinect-based projects, including a 3D room scanner and a robotic basketball hoop.

#kinecthacks #weaponshacks #arduino #kinect #servos #turret #unity

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2021-06-03

Auto-Aiming Nerf Gun To Give You The Edge In Battle

Ever wished for some robotic enhancements for your next nerf war? Well, it's time to dig through the parts bin and build yourself a nerf gun with aimbot built right in, courtesy of [3Dprintedlife]. (Video, embedded below.)

The gun started with a design borrowed from [Captain Slug]'s awesome catalog of open source nerf guns. [3Dprintedlife] modified the design to include a two-axis gimbal between the lower and the upper, driven by a pair of stepper motors via an Arduino. For auto-aim, a camera module attached to a Raspberry Pi running OpenCV was added. When the user half-pressed the trigger, OpenCV will start tracking whatever was at the center of the frame and actively adjust the gimbal to keep the gun aimed at the object until the user fires. The trigger mechanism consists of a pair of microswitches that activate a servo to release the sear. It is also capable of tracking a moving target or any face that comes into view.

We think this is a really fun project, with a lot of things that can be learned in the process. Mount it on a remote control tank and you'd be able to wage some intense battles in your backyard. All the files are available on GitHub.

You are never too old for a good old nerf battle. Whether you want to be a sniper, a machine gunner, or a heavy weapons specialist, there's a weapon to build for every role.

#toyhacks #weaponshacks #3dprintedlife #nerf #opencv #steppers #turret

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