That's got to hurt! Student designs £85 machine gun that fires 14 RUBBER BANDS a second
The rubber band machine gun is able to fire 672 rubber bands up to 26 feet (eight metres) at a rate of 14 shots a second from its 16 barrels
It was created by an 18-year-old Ukranian design student who was inspired by the working of the Gatling gun - an early rapid-fire weapon
The gun is set to go on sale early this year for around $140 (£85) and comes in three colours
By Sarah Griffiths
PUBLISHED: 14:30 GMT, 7 January 2014 | UPDATED: 15:47 GMT, 7 January 2014
Plenty of us enjoyed pinging rubber bands at unsuspecting school friends as children, but now one man has taken inspiration from his youth to create what he believes to be the ultimate office weapon.
The Rubber Band Machine Gun is able to fire 672 rubber bands up to 26 feet (eight metres) at a rate of 14 shots a second from its 16 barrels.
While such a weapon could no doubt inflict pain on a human target, the design student behind the toy is trying to raise money so that he can sell his wooden contraption to the public later this year.
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The rubber band machine gun (pictured) is able to fire 672 rubber bands up to 26 feet (eight metres) at a rate of 14 shots a second from its 16 barrels
RUBBER BAND MACHINE GUN SPECIFICATIONS
Fully automatic and made from CNC plywood
Holds 672 rubber bands
Has a range of 26 feet or eight metres
Fired 14 shots per second
Measures 34inches x 8inches x 11 inches
Sold with 700 spare rubber bands and a rack for the gun
.The gun is powered by five AA batteries and can be reloaded with more ammunition in minutes.
Design student Alex Shpetniy, 18, based his contraption on the Gatling gun - one of the world's first rapid-fire weapons.
Originally invented by Richard Gatling, the forerunner to the modern machine gun is known for its use by the Union forces during the American Civil War in the 1860s, which was the first time it was employed in combat.
Mr Shpetniy spent a year developing the toy - which he believes is the world’s most advanced rubber band gun - using skills he honed building model airplanes.
The Ukrainian student is raising funds on Kickstarter and has attracted $70,000 of pledges more than the $5,000 he set out to gather, demonstrating the demand for such a DIY weapon.Â
The gun is expected to go on sale this year for $140 (around £80).
The rubber band machine gun, invented by design student Alex Shpetniy, is powered by five AA batteries and can be reloaded with more ammunition in minutes
HOW DOES THE GUN WORK?
String is wound onto the drum of the gun, passing through cuts in the barrels
Then up to 672 rubber bands are stretched over the string and the 16 barrels.
An electric motor powered by five AA batteries reels off the string.
This pulls off the rubber bands one by one, releasing them into flight with a range of up to 26 feet or eight metres.
.'Everyone loved having rubber band fights as kids and now children of all ages can enjoy practising their shooting skills with a Rubber Band Machine Gun,’ Mr Shpetniy said.
He explained that the automatic machine gun is made from birch plywood and cut out using a CNC (computer numerical control) machine, which allows a user to enter a design using a computer that is then cut out using a router.
The gun comes in three colours: original birch, burnt wood and black.
Mr Shpetniy said: ‘With my Rubber Band Gun Machine everyone can feel like Rambo, launching a rubber storm, and throwing a pound of rubber bands into their opponent.’
The automatic machine gun is made from birch plywood and cut out using a CNC (computer numerical control) machine that allows a person to enter a computer design that cut out using a router. It comes in three colours: original birch, burnt wood and black
He explained that he had the idea to make a machine gun that fired rubber bands, after seeing more simple rubber band guns on the internet.
‘I am experienced in working with wood so I quickly set about making the first prototypes.
‘String is wound onto the drum, passing through cuts in the barrels, then rubber bands are stretched over the string.
Alex Shpetniy, 18 based his contraption on the Gatling gun (illustrated) which was one of the world's first rapid-fire weapons. Invented by Richard Gatling, it is known for its use by the Union forces during the American Civil War in the 1860s, which was the first time it was employed in combat
String is wound onto the drum of the gun, passing through cuts in the barrels. Then up to 672 rubber bands are stretched over the string and the 16 barrels. An electric motor powered by five AA batteries reels off the string, which pulls off the rubber bands one by one, releasing them into flight
‘The electric motor reels off the string pulling off rubber bands one by one, releasing them into flight.
‘I have spent the last year developing the gun and the last stage of it was to invent the "fast charger" which means you can reload the rubber bands very quickly.'
He claims there is nothing else like it on the market.
Read more:
Rubber Band Machine Gun with unique Fast Charger
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2535224/Thats-got-hurt-Student-designs-85-machine-gun-fires-14-RUBBER-BANDS-second.html#ixzz2pqYInPVj
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