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An array of magnets and a few steel balls, when put together, make a Gaussian cannon. Although manual variants of the cannon already exist, nobody has mechanized a Gaussian cannon before, until we did.
Inspiration
To make a pilot's life easy, many modern attack helicopters like the AH-64 Apache come with a helmet-tracking gun targeting system. As the pilot looks around while steering the aircraft, a gun imitates the movement of the pilot's head. Basically, when the pilot looks at a hostile target, so does the gun.
We made a similar system, consisting of a Gaussian cannon and a targeting system, and mounted the device on a remote-controlled car.
Device Structure
Gaussian cannon
A Gaussian cannon uses magnetic fields to propel and shoot a mild steel projectile out of a barrel. Our mechanized variant of the cannon can be triggered, reset and reloaded automatically with our innovative rotary axial cam mechanisms, unlike conventional Gaussian cannons, which need to be triggered, reset and reloaded manually after each shot.
Conventional one-shot Gaussian cannon, that needs to be trigerred, reset and reloaded manually after each shot.
In our variant of the Gaussian cannon, with a few balls loaded on the magazine and the rotary mechanisms in action, there's no manual effort involved in triggering a shot, or preparing for the next one.
Targeting system
An accelerometer mounted on the helmet tracks the user's head movement. Radio frequency (RF) modules are used to send signals to an arm on which the Gaussian cannon is mounted. The arm imitates the user's head movement by pointing the cannon to the direction where the user is looking.
2-DOF (degrees of freedom) arm to imitate the user's head movement.
Ball bearings were used to support the weight of the device.
Accessories
A camera attached in front of the barrel of the cannon provides real-time video feed from the cannon’s perspective. Moreover, the device is mounted on a remote-controlled car that can carry the system to any desired location.
The complete package.
Applications
In security and surveillance applications, the head-tracking system can be used to remotely control a moveable surveillance camera.
In firefighting, a firefighter can remotely control a water hose from a safe distance.
Limitations
Elevation of the arm gradually deviates from the elevation of the helmet due to limitations of the accelerometer.
Speed of the projectiles is limited due to the limited speed of the servo motor used.
Possible upgrades
Object and face detection with target locking can be achieved using real-time image processing.
Head-mounted display systems can be deployed for a 360° view of surroundings.
3D printed a part with wrong dimensions. Fixed it with lathe and shaper machines.
Proud moment - to see a completely new idea come to life - and somehow it works.
On project showcasing day.
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