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The Quintessential Sentry Gun

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the deadly-secure dept.

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!"

5 of 276 comments (clear)

  1. My eyes, my eyes! by modecx · · Score: 2, Insightful

    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.

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  2. Re:Just a hunch... by E8086 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    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.

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  3. Re:Just a hunch... by 0rionx · · Score: 2, Insightful

    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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  4. Re:awesome by blackcoot · · Score: 2, Insightful

    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)

  5. Re:How about by hcdejong · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Swap the sissy weapon for a Gatling gun, and at least you'll be able to generate a Beowulf cluster of bullets...