For those who played and experimented with various materials to create their futuristic gadgets and items, this story should serve as an inspiration or maybe instill fear as well.
The crazy contraption pictured in the image above is the first portable railgun, a futuristic projectile launcher associated most commonly with the military or NASA. The man in the image above isn’t in the military, and he’s not a NASA engineer. Instead, he’s a civilian who used some engineering smarts, some widely available parts and a 3D printer to create a functioning weapon that can fire graphite, aluminum, tungsten and even plasma projectiles at speeds of more than 560 mph.
And then there’s the best part: There are videos of this homemade railgun in action.
According to Zach Epstein of BGR, little is known about Imgur user “NSA_Listbot” beyond the fact that he’s just short of being a wizard with AutoCAD and a 3D printer. The man took to Imgur to share what may very well be one of the most amazing and terrifying do-it-yourself (DIY) projects that has even been attempted. And he didn’t just attempt it, he built it.
Using a combination of 3D printing and widely available components, the man built a functioning handheld railgun that houses six capacitors and delivers more than 3,000 kilojoules of energy per shot. What does it shoot, you might be wondering? So far he has tested the gun using metal rods made of graphite, aluminum and copper-coated tungsten, like the ones pictured below.
It can also fire carbon projectiles and teflon/plasma rods. That’s right, this guy built a plasma gun.
The portable device works just like a full-size railgun, using electromagnetic technology to fire projectiles. But it’s important to note that this portable railgun isn’t quite as lethal as a military-grade railgun. While 560 mph projectiles can certainly do some damage, a military railgun can accelerate a projectile to speeds exceeding 13,000 mph in just 0.2 seconds.
The crazy contraption pictured in the image above is the first portable railgun, a futuristic projectile launcher associated most commonly with the military or NASA. The man in the image above isn’t in the military, and he’s not a NASA engineer. Instead, he’s a civilian who used some engineering smarts, some widely available parts and a 3D printer to create a functioning weapon that can fire graphite, aluminum, tungsten and even plasma projectiles at speeds of more than 560 mph.
And then there’s the best part: There are videos of this homemade railgun in action.
According to Zach Epstein of BGR, little is known about Imgur user “NSA_Listbot” beyond the fact that he’s just short of being a wizard with AutoCAD and a 3D printer. The man took to Imgur to share what may very well be one of the most amazing and terrifying do-it-yourself (DIY) projects that has even been attempted. And he didn’t just attempt it, he built it.
It can also fire carbon projectiles and teflon/plasma rods. That’s right, this guy built a plasma gun.
The portable device works just like a full-size railgun, using electromagnetic technology to fire projectiles. But it’s important to note that this portable railgun isn’t quite as lethal as a military-grade railgun. While 560 mph projectiles can certainly do some damage, a military railgun can accelerate a projectile to speeds exceeding 13,000 mph in just 0.2 seconds.
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