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Automated Sentry Robots

Posted by michael on from the angry-cat dept.

jimbob5 writes "New Scientist reports that you can now buy your own automated Room Defender. 'Who would like this gift? Any child, or anyone who saw the director's cut of Aliens and dreamed of owning one of those automated sentries.'" The New Scientist gift guide looks pretty useful.

3 of 216 comments (clear)

  1. I'm too late! by ArmageddonLord · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I've wanted to build one of these things for years. However my goals were a little higher. Complete motion tracking camera/servo system, and it would have fired paintballs or airsoft BBs... Too bad I never thought of the downgrade to common toy as a great selling point. Guess I'm and engineer and not a businessman.

    1. Re:I'm too late! by stuktongue · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Sort of a poor man's version of this?: http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/factfile/weapo ns/wep-phal.html

  2. Chasing cats away, true story by 3770 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    So,

    My parents had a flower bed that the neighbourhood cats used as their litter box.

    Dad got fed up with that and built a little contraption.

    He rigged up a booby trap with a wire and a clothes peg. When the cats tripped the wire the clothes peg pulled off and broke a circuit with a battery and one of those old style magnesium flashes that one used to have for cameras in the 70s.

    So the cats would walk in there at night, with pupils dilated to the size of grapes and preparing to do their business.

    And trip the wire and.... *flash*!!!

    The wire got tripped a few times. Once per cat in the area I would presume. And then never again.

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