High tech trebuchet
January 18, 2008 3:59 PM   Subscribe

 
See also: Piano flinging trebuchet.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:07 PM on January 18, 2008


am I the only one that always reads that as 'treebucket'? That was what we always used to call it in AoE games.
posted by empath at 4:08 PM on January 18, 2008


And of course, Flaming piano flinging trebuchet.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:08 PM on January 18, 2008


Wicked cool. Said the profoundly un-crafty dork who botched a table-top balsa wood trebuchet *sigh*
posted by everichon at 4:18 PM on January 18, 2008


Technically, it isn't a trebuchet, because a true trebuchet is powered by a falling weight on the other end of the throwing arm. (Just thought I'd point that out before someone else did.)
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 4:24 PM on January 18, 2008


Thanks, Steven!

[flings a flaming Steven C. Den Beste]
posted by SteelyDuran at 4:27 PM on January 18, 2008


Nice pics. The hacky coolness of this is reduced, though, by the fact you need to find a $4M industrial robot just collecting dust in a flea market first.
posted by rokusan at 4:32 PM on January 18, 2008


I love it. I live very close to Yankee Siege. In the autumn, they fire it up and hurl all sorts of stuff, although I don't think they've got to pianos yet. They were in Tyngsboro, Mass., right across the state line from here, but they've moved out to Greenfield, NH. This year, come hell or high water, I'm going there and watching while they launch things. Yankee Siege is HUGE and makes ominous noises.
posted by SteelyDuran at 4:33 PM on January 18, 2008


Is it wrong that I want to see them throw the robot with an even larger trebuchet?
posted by loquacious at 4:36 PM on January 18, 2008 [3 favorites]


I would personally give this a hacky coolness factor of zero. Having only watched the video, I would guess that this can really only be classified as a rich guy and his drinking buddies breaking shit with expensive toys out in the desert.
posted by Brocktoon at 4:37 PM on January 18, 2008


Make a vision-guided fireball-throwing catapult out of an ordinary industrial robot

And who doesn't have an ordinary industrial robot lying around the house.
posted by Poolio at 4:38 PM on January 18, 2008


Flinging a bowling ball 100 feet (or a piano 200ft) is cool and all, but I want to see something flung so far it disappears into the distance. THAT would be cool. Wikipedia says medieval trebuchets had a range of half a mile.
posted by PercussivePaul at 4:40 PM on January 18, 2008


er, like the Yankee Seige. yeah.
posted by PercussivePaul at 4:41 PM on January 18, 2008


> The hacky coolness of this is reduced, though, by the fact you need to find a $4M industrial robot just collecting dust in a flea market first.

Well, the biggest problem I can see is that when the Great Robot Rebellion comes, they're ahead even further in the arms race. I guess an indicator that the time is nigh is if you discover a disproportionate number of bots working in bowling ball factories and tending pumpkin farms. And playing pianos. (I'm look at YOU, Disklavier!)

Imagine that the day comes, and you hear this awful noise: "sssssssssSSSSSSSSCHWEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeee" and when you look to try to see the source of the sound, there's only a dark dot in the sky, but it's slowly growing to fill your vision. And it's playing Ravel's Bolero.
posted by SteelyDuran at 4:44 PM on January 18, 2008 [1 favorite]


But seriously, isn't is better to be making Audis than wrecking Winebagos?

You're right. No way.
posted by wendell at 5:13 PM on January 18, 2008


Flinging a bowling ball 100 feet (or a piano 200ft) is cool and all, but I want to see something flung so far it disappears into the distance. THAT would be cool.

Unless, of course, you're that unlucky soul out in the distance that the bowling ball or piano happens to, um, land on. That wouldn't be cool.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:21 PM on January 18, 2008


Awesome.
posted by donovan at 5:21 PM on January 18, 2008


Then again, death by flying piano from the sky?

That's gotta qualify as a cool way to go.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:22 PM on January 18, 2008


And flying flaming piano? That's how I wanna go.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:23 PM on January 18, 2008


That is fucking cool as hell, thanks Steve. How's your eye?
posted by Divine_Wino at 5:24 PM on January 18, 2008


I thought this was vaguely cool (although I'd rather have the RV myself than have them wreck it) until the second video when they hurled meat at a people in costumes. It got all Jackass-y and stuff and then I didn't understand the point (right, like there was a point to the first half?).
posted by stevil at 5:30 PM on January 18, 2008


Awesomeness.

Any day that you need AND CAN ACTUALLY GET tech support on your trebuchet is a good day.
posted by tkolar at 5:39 PM on January 18, 2008


That is fucking cool as hell, thanks Steve. How's your eye?

It doesn't hurt any longer, which is a real blessing. But for the moment it's completely useless as an organ of vision. Fortunately, my other eye is completely unaffected and works fine.

I've posted an update on the AskMe thread.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 5:45 PM on January 18, 2008


Obligatory proud Mom link to my son's Science Fair project: His Trebuchet slings tennis balls over 120 ft. : )
posted by misha at 5:57 PM on January 18, 2008


While it's a bit old, here is a mortar which shoots bowling balls, being fired off at a gun range in Alaska.

Alaska is such a great place.
posted by c0nsumer at 7:46 PM on January 18, 2008


Well... I look at it this way. If they can manage to improve the process some, they've got a real winner on their hands in regards to the annual Punkin Chunkin competition.
Please note, despite the amateurish layout of the site, this is a real event, and it rules as a spectator sport.
posted by Reth_Eldirood at 8:10 PM on January 18, 2008


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