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The Quintessential Sentry Gun
mollyhackit writes "Aaron and Ezra built an automatic sentry gun using an airsoft gun, some hobby servos and a webcam.The camera automatically identifies and tracks targets. They tested it on each other to make sure it worked; video included!"
Heck, tie it to the garden hose, can't get much more non-lethal than that... Unless it's 40 below in Minnesota or something. It'd be great for keeping the neighbor's cats from shitting in the garden, and it would also be great for Jehovah's Witnesses and people who listen to John Tesh.
Constitutional rights may be respected, repealed, or modified; but they must never be ignored.
Is it still considered booby-trapping if you put up a "trespassers will be shot" sign? Just be sure to turn it off around mail time, don't want to hit the USPS/UPS/FedEX/DHL person delivering your new hdd or motherboard or notification of lawsuit from the person you hit the day before.
F7 doesn't work, ignore spelling and grammar
Although I can't say for sure, I'm told by a cop friend of mine that any kind of "unmanned, unattended" booby trap is considered illegal. Basically, anything that doesn't discriminate, but just fires away. If I'm not mistaken, I believe part of the reason for these laws is a result of people who have maimed or killed either themselves or a family member with their homemade traps. Additionally, if firefighters or police officers have to break into your home in an emergency, the last thing they want to have to worry about is some auto-turret that's gonna start pelting them with airsoft bullets. Non-lethal, sure, but most law enforcement officers I know would take a very dim view of such a set-up just on principle.
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Actually, many booby traps are legal in many jurisdictions. The problem comes when intending to maim or kill through theft deterrents that the law places a greater weight upon the life of a tresasser over protection of property. The big catch is that if you are home, then you are protecting yourself and your home, which is given great leniency under the 'castle doctrine'. Basically the Castle Doctrine says you can kill/do serious injury to protect when you are on your own property (and there is a resonably perceived threat to the person, not the property). You may not kill or use lethal implements (firearms, bolt guns, lethal voltage, trained attack dogs, etc) in protecting property upon which there is no person to be protected. Use of lethal weapons carries the intent to kill or maim, even if carefully constructed to not kill (i.e. pointing a boobtrap gun at feet).
Now isn't that clear as mud?
you don't need white to be the cue. i've seen similar things which cue off motion alone, in which case the camouflage won't help you (other moving things could, however, confuse it). in fact, cueing off motion alone makes things quite a bit easier --- no need to track (pick out the biggest blob of foreground pixels, aim at the middle, fire)
Swap the sissy weapon for a Gatling gun, and at least you'll be able to generate a Beowulf cluster of bullets...