Industrial Robot Arm Becomes Giant Catapult

wintersynth brings us a story about a group of enthusiasts who made a catapult out of a 2,800lb industrial robot arm. They used it to launch bowling balls, fireballs, and cans of beer toward a stationary target, and they controlled the catapult's aim with a graphical UI on a laptop. "I wanted to be able to control the rotation of the robot so we could aim the robot from the laptop, but I quickly realized that since the desert is so flat, we could do some basic ranging on the target too. I also wanted the targeting to be overlaid in 3d over a photograph of the target area. The software needed to control the robot like an MMO or RTS game. I suspect that video games, in general, have some of the most optimal control interfaces. I wanted to try a control scheme similar to the area effect spell targeting in World of Warcraft."

Comments

HD Camera

[Anonymous Coward]

Let me get this straight... they "Rented" the camera by buying it at Fry's and returning it?

I'm sure some people will defend this tactic, but its stuff like this that causes awesome return policies at stores to be restricted, and prices to go up. (as recently happened at CostCo)

I can't believe they posted that tidbit on the site...

Re:HD Camera

[errxn]

Sorry, but you intended to return it from the very start. The lame excuse that the camera sucked does nothing to change that fact, and really just makes you seem like that much more of a tool.

Re:double entendre

[SnowZero]

The right was granted in the age of muzzle loaders. ...and cannons[1], mortars[2], bombs[3], and landmines[4]. Most people seem to forget that.

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