Don’t try this at home: Colin Furze creates a semi-automatic potato cannon
Arduino Team — July 9th, 2020
Colin Furze decided that he needed a potato cannon for his DIY screw tank, and after making a manually loaded version, he automated the process.
What he came up with uses a pair of linear actuators to push the barrel forward under Arduino control, allowing a potato-projectile to drop into the device’s chamber assembly. After a short delay, it closes up again, cutting the roundish vegetable into a cylindrical plug. Flammable gas then enters via a solenoid valve for a carefully regulated amount of time.
With the gas mixed, the cannon is then fired, and a single button press starts the process over again. The powerful cannon creates a mess in his test area after a few shots, actually taking a plug out of the mattress he used to absorb the impact. It should be quite impressive once mounted on the screw tank, though it’s a project that you probably shouldn’t try at home.
We care about the privacy and personal data of our users.
To continue, please give us your consent:
Please confirm that you have read the privacy policy
Thank you for subscribing!
Curious to learn more?
Are you also a teacher, student, or professional that loves using Arduino in your day-to-day activities?
Then keep up-to-date with either our STEM or Professional monthly newsletters.
Arduino weekly newsletter (already subscribed)
Educators can benefit from the ever growing tech that shapes our environment through fun cool projects.
Why not awe your boss with highly innovative ways to help keep your enterprise connected at no extra cost?
Arduino Survey
We'd like to get to know you little better.
Please help us improve by answering this super short optional survey.
