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Weta Workshop builds real-life TF2 sentry gun, minus the screaming and blood (video)
Weta Workshop is filled with engineers, and that means they solve problems. Practical problems. For instance, how Valve Software is going to keep its throng of Team Fortress 2 players in awe. The answer? Use a gun. Like this heavy-caliber, tripod-mounted, fastidiously crafted life-size reproduction of The Engineer's level 1 Sentry Gun, which features a bona fide motion sensor for tracking whosoever is fool enough to venture into Valve's geektastic lobby in Bellevue, Washington and touch the darn thing. We're ready to volunteer. Video after the break.
New EVE exploit gives wormhole corp incredible advantage
A potentially game-breaking new exploit was revealed tonight in EVE Online. The exploit was first noticed by Rooks and Kings pilots during their invasion of populated wormhole systems. Their target, a corp named Aperture Harmonics, appeared to have almost game-breaking abilities. The corporation's ships were somehow able to successfully hit their targets from over 150km away using short-range weapons like blasters and autocannons. Since short-range weapons with short-range ammo deal massive damage, being able to hit with them at distances beyond a few thousand metres is potentially game-breaking. Aperture Harmonics and its parent alliance K162 have both maintained a strong presence in EVE's 2500 hidden star systems since the appearance of wormholes over a year ago. The corp has become incredibly wealthy by running the difficult exploration content in these hidden systems, but it was always assumed that the tactics Aperture Harmonics pilots used were entirely legitimate. Whereas other corps tackle high-end Sleeper sites with complex logistics and electronic warfare strategies, the Aperture Harmonics pilots may simply have been cheating to run the sites in an almost impossibly short time.
Infrared Nerf autocannon hunts predators, little sisters too (video)
When it comes to keeping unwanted personnel out of your property, whether that be an estate or an alcove, you can't be expected to hang around holding the big guns all day long. That's when you need an automatic-targeting turret, and Rick Prescott's Infrared Seeking Sentinel is a good, non-lethal choice. Built on a Nerf Vulcan EBF-25, he added an infrared tracker, motor, and battery pack to make the thing autonomous, capable of firing in semi- or full-auto modes. He's posted full instructions on how to make your own, and his effort won him the Make Gadget Freak Design Contest. It also won him something else: our admiration. Full explanation and demonstration after the break.
Students accelerate cubicle arms race with PlayStation Eye-tracked, iPhone-guided coilgun (video)
DIY weaponry gets more lethal with each passing year; where once we were content with a simple foam missile launcher, technology has progressed such that our automated turrets now spew screwdriver bits, airsoft and paintballs. As progress forges ahead, two engineering students at the University of Arkansas have added injury to insult with this four-stage DIY coilgun. Using an Arduino microcontroller to actuate the firing mechanism and steer the monstrous wooden frame, they nimbly control the badass kit with an iDevice over WiFi, and line up targets using a repurposed PlayStation Eye webcam. While we'd of course prefer to have our phone SSH into the gun over 3G, we're not going to argue with success. We'd like to keep our lungs un-perforated, thank you very much. See it in action after the break.
EATR robots are coming, this isn't funny anymore
Oh sure, we joke about rogue AI all the time, and we're aware that we'll probably pollute ourselves to death well before the robots get us, but who really thinks flesh-eating machines are a good idea? The (patently evil) scientists behind the EATR project -- no fair, they're making their own jokes now too -- have reached a new milestone in the development of the reconnaissance bot, successfully coupling a steam generator with a compact biomass furnace. It is now therefore possible for an autonomous machine to forage for and refuel itself with biomatter, otherwise known as soft, pulsating, yummy humans. They call it fuel versatility, as gasoline, diesel, and solar power may also be used if available, yet we'll offer no prizes for predicting which energy source these chainsaw-equipped robots will prefer. [Via Switched]
DIY Paintball Turret unleashes wireless havoc at 34 rounds per second
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gadgets/DIY_34_Round_per_second_Paintball_Turret'; The appeal of the Paintball Turret can pretty much be summed up in its inventor's own words: "It shoots things." What grabbed our attention, though, is just how sophisticated the contraption appears to be. Two years in development, Jared Bouck's turret fires 34 balls per second (per second!) and is designed to be carried as a backpack for rapid deployment. Invent Geek also claims that it can be controlled via heads-up display from up to half a mile away. Full plans and a material list are promised as is a video demonstration. Until then, you'll have to make due with the detailed assembly history just beyond the read link. This could change paint warfare and the tactics used by curmudgeonly neighbors to protect their lawns, forever.
EVE Evolved: Electronic Warfare, part 3
In the first two parts of this three part guide, I explained the basics of electronic warfare in EVE Online and examined the skills and equipment you'll need as an electronic warfare specialist. In this final section, I tackle the tricky issues of battlefield operations and survival.Survival:An unfortunate fact about being part of a fleet's electronic warfare crew is that you'll almost certainly be a high priority target for your enemies. To make matters worse, specialist electronic warfare ships tend to have very poor defensive capabilities. Fitting any kind of tank on an electronic warfare ship can waste vital module slots and severely impact the performance of your ship. This is particularly true in the case of ECM jamming ships where the low slots should be used for signal distortion amplifiers.What can you do to keep your ship safe on the battlefield and what should you do to help your fleet be victorious? Join me as I answer these questions in a thorough tactical overview of electronic warfare in EVE Online.
EVE Evolved: Electronic warfare, part 2
In part 1 of this guide, I delved into the world of electronic warfare in EVE Online. In this second segment, I examine the skills and equipment you'll need to be an electronic warfare specialist with special regard to ECM jammers, remote sensor dampeners and tracking disruptors. Contrary to popular belief, new pilots with few skillpoints can still be extremely useful in this area of PvP. The entry-level skills and equipment for electronic warfare specialists can be obtained within days of starting the game.Entry-level ships:Although electronic warfare modules can be fitted to any ship, each race has its own set of specialised ships that get bonuses to them. Ranging from cheap expendable frigates up to expensive force recon ships, there are specialist ships for players of all skill levels and in all price ranges. The Caldari race have ships that specialise in ECM jammers, the Gallente specialise in remote sensor dampeners and the Amarr make good use of tracking disruptors and energy neutralisers.Read on as I examine the skills and equipment you'll need to be one of the most effective electronic warfare specialists in EVE.
EVE Evolved: Electronic warfare, part 1
Whether you're taking part in faction warfare, pirating, fighting a dirty corporate war or defending your homeland in 0.0, chances are you'll be engaging in a lot of fleet warfare. Although a lot of newer fleet commanders prefer all fleet members to be in ships that deal a lot of damage, the optimum setup makes better use of a variety of ship types. A strong fleet in EVE Online is typically composed of three main groups. First you have the tacklers who intercept and warp-scramble enemies, then the damage dealers who kill the enemy and finally you have the electronic warfare crew.What is electronic warfare?:Electronic warfare involves the use of modules that debilitate the enemy indirectly rather than attacking them head-on. This includes using target jammers to cause the enemy to lose his active target locks, sensor dampeners to decrease his lock range and energy neutralisers to deplete his capacitor. A good electronic warfare ship has the potential to remove several enemy ships from the battle, cutting the effectiveness of the enemy fleet down significantly. For this reason, a good electronic warfare wing in your fleet can be seen as a force multiplier, allowing your fleet to engage much larger forces and succeed.In the first part of this guide, I cover the basics of electronic warfare in EVE and show just how important this often underused portion of a fleet is.
Auto-aiming USB missile launcher makes good use of your Wiimote
It's tough for us to go six months without a newfangled approach to hacking the famed USB missile launcher, so it's with great joy that we present to you this particular one. By utilizing a spare Wiimote, a USB-enabled PC, a USB missile launcher, a few strips of duct tape and a minor amount of programming knowledge, you too can craft an auto-aiming launcher which can find, aim at and attack IR targets. Grab the aforementioned items and hit the read link, just take care to not poke your eye out, alright?[Via HackNMod, thanks Joe]
EMT Paintball Sentry Turret renders your personal militia useless
Automated paintball machines have been spotted holding down a-many of forts, but it's still been relatively hard to find one pre-built and ready for purchase. Enter Evolution Model Technology, whose Paintball Sentry Turret is mighty enough to mow down even the deepest of crosstown rival cliques trying to get up in your area. Arriving in wired and wireless versions, the unit is available with water- or winter-proof armor, can be controlled remotely and features a head that rotates 350-degrees and tilts 90-degrees. Best of all, the cold blooded plastering machine can be customized to the hilt for those living in seriously dodgy locales, but considering the $1,399.50 (and way, way up) price tag, you better have one incredible stash of valuables to protect before pulling the proverbial trigger.[Via technabob]
Video: A day in the life of a Portal turret
Portal deservedly earned the respect of many gamers this year. One of the primary reasons for this is undoubtedly its dark sense of humor and excellent writing. One of the more brilliant ideas was to turn the game's turrets into actual characters. Spouting lines like "are you still there?" and "I don't hate you," the turrets provided an ample share of chuckles. Smooth Few Films has taken this idea and run with it, creating "Portal: a Day in the Life of a Turret," a short film about (you guessed it) Portal's turrets. Imagine two turrets shooting the breeze around the Aperture Science water cooler and you'll have a pretty good idea of what the film is about. Watch the (not safe for work) video after the break. Oh, and keep an eye out for a special appearance by the Weighted Companion Cube.
Autonomous, laser-guided turret takes aim
The homegrown home security options out there just keep getting sweeter and sweeter, as yet another go-getter has conjured up an autonomous turret to hold down the fort while the owners are away buying more capacitors and Fruit by the Foot. The programmable weapon relies on an 8 servo serial controller and a s666n High Torque servo motor, not to mention a good bit of programming to get things in working order. What started out as a curious ambition has now developed into quite a serious project, as the creator is hoping to "develop a weapons platform for the Defcon Bots competition," and judging by what we see here, things are lookin' up. The robotic sentry can apparently take out targets on its own or follow a simple laser to targets and fire away, but alas, what good would a made from scratch robotic piece of artillery be without a video to demonstrate? Click on through to see the firepower.
USB BB gun sports barrel-mounted webcam, ensures home security
While there's certainly a variety of options to keep watch and protect your property from curious intruders, the latest branch of vCrib gives a new meaning to being on guard. Crafted by the designer of the Virtual Crib home automation software, the USB BB gun sports automatic firing, manual reloading, and the ability to fire based on commands given remotely on a PC. Moreover, the weapon actually packs a webcam on the barrel, allowing users to login via computer, tilt / swivel the gun with simple mouse flicks, and fire away if you spot any intruders within its broad line of sight. It shouldn't need mentioning that we'd make absolutely sure our landlord was cool with mounting a remotely-controlled weapon in the window, but if you need to take home security into your own hands (without actually being at home), be sure to click on through to see this controversial creation spittin' hot fury.
AirSoft Project 2.0 touts four times the firepower
As if having your own USB-controlled turret wasn't lethal enough, the creator of the original has now completed AirSoft Project 2.0, gracing us with a bigger, meaner, and more potent weapon to mow down office mates and erratic offspring alike. By utilizing similar parts as before, but adding a radio-controlled option, laser, and quadrupling the firepower, this mechanical sentry most certainly brings the pain, and can reportedly pump out 1,500 rounds per minute for when things get really rough in the trenches. While its inventor claims that everything can be assembled in just 10 hours, and rates the project difficultly at a mere "amateur" level, we'd still recommend only the veterans in the house even give this one a go, but considering the "$150 to $250" it'll cost you just in parts, let alone the C++ / Javascript coding that you'll be doing behind the scenes, we doubt too many privates will get involved anyway. Mr. Bouck did note that upon completion, he realized that hooking it up with both USB and RC controls might have been overkill, and recommends that any copycats utilize just one method or the other. So if you're all amped from the recent Jack Bauer power hours, and you're eager to get started on this ruthless mission, be sure to hit the read link for the full breakdown -- but only after you click on through for a quick briefing video first.[Thanks, Tom]
USB AirSoft turret mows down unsuspecting office mates
Where else but the good ole US of A would we revel in crafting items that not only utilized that oh-so-lonely USB port on the rear of your leased laptop, but had the potential to "deliver welts" to unsuspecting co-workers? While the pre-packaged USB missile launchers are quite the novel desk adornment, this DIY job seriously brings the heat (and the pain). While the modder responsible here envisions a more robust, costly, and dangerous version in the future, his 1.0 edition features a $19 electronic AirSoft gun, the turret base from an aforementioned USB missile launcher, super glue, and the usual compliment of assembly tools. After disassembling the launcher and tapping into its base, a bit of fancy wire work is required to affix the more powerful AirSoft gun to the rotating turret. A few more screws and finagling, and you're all set to demolish the fun at your annual holiday bash, all for just around $70 and a few hours of your time. So if you couldn't handle boot camp, but still have a passion for mechanical sentries, be sure to hit the read link for the full skinny.[Via HackADay]
The weapons of Killzone: Liberation
If you've played the demo, you got a good taste of what to expect from the upcoming PSP-exclusive Killzone: Liberation. You can only carry one weapon at a time, meaning weapons selection is pretty crucial to the strategy of the game. Thankfully, there are crates that will supply you with the necessary tools you'll need (for example: a rocket launcher before a deadly battle against two tanks). GameTrailers.com has posted an excellent video feature, covering the various weapons in the game. Their favorite? A explosive crossbow, a la Darkwatch. They reveal details on how you can purchase new weapons, use C4, command your teammates to cover you with turret fire, ride a tank, and more. Chris found the game demo to be pretty damn good, and with all these gameplay features, it seems like the full game will not disappoint (hopefully). Killzone: Liberation hits stores on Halloween.
