Gizmodo Australia » catapults

Altoids Tin Catapult Will Make You Feel, And Act, 10 Years Old Again

Dan Nosowitz — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Here’s an Instructables to bring back the obnoxious kid that lives not so far down in all of us: Learn how to turn one of those miniature Altoids tins into a tiny catapult. It’ll be fun for nobody but you.

We like Instructables like this one because not everyone has a damn laser cutter lying around, and this one only requires materials you’ve likely got lying around anyway (coat hanger, rubber band, spoon, etc.). The creator promises it’ll only take about 10 minutes, and we promise it’ll be fun for at least 11. [Instructables]

Cardapult: Score a New Job With The Business Card That Transforms Into a Catapult

Sean Fallon — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Unemployment is high these days—which means you have lots of competition when it comes to job searching. Lay siege to prospective employers with the Cardapult and you will certainly win the day.

In a nutshell, the Cardapult is a business card that transforms into a rubber band-powered desktop catapult. What employer would not be impressed by that? They will hire you on the spot (unless you happen to shoot their eye out). Hit the following link for the complete instructions on how to make one yourself. [Instructables]

Homemade Human Catapult Provides Not-Quite-Safe Fun

Adam Frucci — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:20:00 +0000

Not too long ago, I told you about the AirKick Human Catapult, a device designed to fling people into or at bodies of water. There was no video, sadly. Now, we have a video of what appears to be a homemade catapult very similar to AirKick’s model, and it looks awesome. Just be sure to turn the volume down on the video before hitting play otherwise you run the risk of getting all aggroed up by the music and punching somebody in the face. [Uberreview via Geekologie]

Vertical Squirrel Launcher Takes Furry Terror to New Heights

Jesus Diaz — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:00:00 +0000

Here’s the Short Take-Off Vertical Landing version of one of Giz’s classics: the squirrel catapult. Somehow, I think this one is less cruel than the original one, as the squirrel is more used to these kind of jumps and landings than horizontal launches. But yes, I can’t stop watching this time either. Sosumi.

AirKick Human Catapult Sends Your Flailing Body 8 Metres Into the Air

Adam Frucci — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:45:00 +0000

We’ve seen before how fun getting launched in the air over a body of water can be. Now we have another way to do it: the AirKick Human Water Catapult.

Powered by air and water, the AirKick launches people about 8 metres in the air and into either a pool or a foam pit. Creator Jochen Schweizer explains it thusly:

It propels participants through the air in a pre-calculated parabolic trajectory using a special combination of air pressure and water recoil technology. Approximately 60 Litres of water are then forced through a rocket nozzle under the seat. This pressurised water (8 to 10 bar of air pressure) propels the participant 8 metres though the air for a cool and refreshing splash down in a swimming pool.

It’s available to rent in Germany. There are no words to describe how badly I want to use this thing. Sigh. [AirKick via Baller House]

Water Balloon Slingshot Brings the Wet into Hot American Summers

Gizmodo US Edition — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 18:30:00 +0000

Now that we’re headed deep into the middle of summer, it’s time to bring out water balloons and figure out ingenious ways to fling them at your enemies. Here’s a great tutorial at Instructables for making a wicked water balloon catapult using surgical tubing, a rag and other random doohickies from around the house. According to the dude responsible for this weapon of watery destruction, this shooter will never explode the water balloon prematurely, unlike some of the types you get in stores. [Instructables]

Thirty-Foot Trebuchet Fires Chicken Poop at Potential Thieves

Addy Dugdale — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:15:23 +0000

A businessman in the UK has come up with a novel way to deal with potential thieves: firing chickenshit at them from a 30-foot catapult. Joe Watson-Webb, a retired showman, had the iron trebuchet left over from his days as a showman, and gets his avian ammo from the farm next door. Local cops have said that they will prosecute Watson-Webb if he uses the catapult to defend his property against arsonists and robbers—but what would they think about the other weapon he has up his sleeve? Watson-Webb is also the proud owner of a 20-foot-long cannon, out of which he used to fire his wife!

He’s modded it to shoot rubber-tipped railway sleepers at criminals. And in spite of the police’s stance, the 70-year-old is standing firm. “I’m not out to kill anyone or even hurt them,” he says. “I just want to keep yobs off my land.”
Signs up at the entrance to Watson-Webb’s flooring business warn of the fate that will befall anyone who attempts to get onto the Nottinghamshire property. SmartPoo, it seems, is no laughing matter. “This is a serious issue. People all over Britain are sick and tired of feeling like prisoners in their own homes and seeing yobs get away with it.”
After trying just about every security product on the market—fencing, motion-sensor lights and CCTV cameras—the 70-year-old is unrepentant, and has pooh-poohed the attitude of the law. “Maybe the police think I’m joking, but the only people laughing are the criminals. That’s why I fully intend to take the law into my own hands.” [Daily Mail]

$70,000 Industrial Robot Modded to Fire Flameballs

Jesus Diaz — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 14:30:47 +0000

There’s only one thing better than robots that can destruct things: robots that can destroy things and terrify people by firing flameballs, bowling balls, watermelons and bloody pig entrails at high speed. Like the Robopult, a gigantic $US70,000 industrial robotic arm hacked to throw all these things like a Terminator version of Roger Clemens. We talked with Aaron Rasmussen about how the heck they managed to get an industrial robot and some of the details of this crazy project:

Jesus Díaz: How the heck did you get your hands on a giant industrial robotic arm?
Aaron Rasmussen: My friend had it for his company, and it was caught in some sort of accounting limbo. So he agreed to let us use it if we didn’t break it. We had to give it back after, sadly. That robot goes for about $70,000.

JD: OK, so that was free. What about the cost for the whole project? I saw that you “rented” (buy and return) an HD camera for free from Fry’s…
AR: The total cost was actually only about $1,000, or about $1,220 if you count the camera that gets hit by the bowling ball:

• Truck rental: $716.13
• Gas for truck $72.86
• Bowling Balls $60.00
• The pig entrails, water for us, carrots, watermelons, eggs and such came to around: $100
• We found scrap parts for the catapult arm
• We traded computer services for the heavy equipment (Skylife and tractor).
• The RV camper van was a junker from a friend of a friend.

Looking at the full video, it seems like the best way to spend a weekend and $1,000 with friends. I personally can’t wait for some kind of laser arm version. [Mana]

Air Catapult Launches Man Into the Sky, Requires Parachute to Land

Jesus Diaz — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 13:50:05 +0000

This crazy giant catapult, probably built by Will E. Coyote out of two construction cranes and ACME industrial-grade rubber bands, is designed to send a man into space with no security cables or net. As you will see in the video, after surviving the bazillion-G-force launch in one piece, he has to open a parachute to return safely to land. After seeing this 125 times today, I’m convinced this guy should have been the pilot of the X-Wing rocket. [LiveLeak]

Build a Candy Catapult with LEGO

Charlie White — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 19:30:00 +0000

We just found one more video of one of the projects from that new book, Forbidden LEGO by Ulrik Pilegaard and Mike Dooley, and this one’s the Candy Catapult. The book with all the particulars about how to build this mini trebuchet for sweets will retail for $24.95. [No Starch Press]