Gizmodo: cannon

This Pneumatic Gun Can Put a Ping Pong Ball Through a Sheet of Plywood

Adam Frucci — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:00:00 EDT

Ping pong balls are relatively harmless, most of the time. Even if someone slams one at you with a paddle, it never hurts all that much. This pneumatic cannon changes that. [TinyEnormous via Make]

Wii Overkill Hand Cannon Is Dirty Harry Approved

Mark Wilson — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 09:20:00 EST

When I think shooting stuff, I think Clint Eastwood, a guy who would never carry the Wii Zapper into a room full of zombies. But he'd love the Overkill Hand Cannon, punks.

Bundled with The House of the Dead Overkill or purchasable from Amazon UK for $17, the Overkill Hand Cannon is beautiful in that it's the anti-Wii, the anti-family-hanging-out-on-Friday-night before their Disney Channel marathon.

For a Wii peripheral, it is indeed "overkill," clearly manufactured with the intent to be spraypainted black before holding up a Gamestop, its namesake intact. [Amazon UK via Kotaku]

DIY Christmas Cannon is a Festive Tinsel Explosion

Dan Nosowitz — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 15:45:00 EST

This DIY Christmas Cannon provides a solution to a problem I didn't know existed: how to combine explosive firearms with the warmth, generosity, and joy of Christmas. Video after the jump.

This homemade PVC pneumatic cannon is loaded with seasonal sparklies like tinsel and fake snow (and what looks like a slightly forlorn little Christmas teddy bear) and pressurized with a bicycle pump. Then the Christmas spirit lets fly a shiny explosion, just like baby Jesus intended. Instructables warns that despite the festivity, this gun is sort of dangerous, and shooting a pneumatic cannon full of anything at somebody's face may not be the best idea. Still, what a great new addition to the holy tradition. [Instructables]

Build a Cannon for Talk Like a Pirate Day

Mark Wilson — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 17:20:00 EDT

Arrgh, maties! You be in need of a cannon to belay your foes? The sea dogs over at Instructables have a set of instructions to arm your jollyboat. But worry not, there be fair waters ah—

*struck down by ninja Mark*

[instructables via MAKE]

Tennis Ball Cannon is a Dog's Best Robotic Friend

Sean Fallon — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 22:00:18 EDT

Now, a beer launching fridge I can understand, but a tennis ball cannon? I find it amusing when someone spends a tremendous amount of time and effort building something that can automate basic functions—like throwing a tennis ball to a wiener dog. But the results speak for themselves. It is an inspiration for lazy people everywhere. [BoingBoing Gadgets]

Gasoline-Powered 25-inch Desk Cannon Shows Your Cube Mates Who's Boss

Jason Chen — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 19:20:46 EST

USB Missiles are fun (I shot Dvorak in the chest with one once, it did not induce a heart attack as I had hoped), but actual cannons are even more fun. This 25-inch field cannon is the closest you'll get to having a Civil War cannon in your office—unless you're the undersecretary of Civil War reenactments for the State of Virginia.

It's powered by gasoline and flint, which means you can actually fire "real" ammunition from its turret. $149 gets you the gun, and you'll have to buy separate flints and ammo for about $10 each. The thing also weighs 7 pounds, which means that in the worst case scenario when you run out of ammo you can just throw it at someone's face. [LighterSide via Nerd Approved]

Ping Pong Ball Fired From Cannon Destroys Can, Self

Wilson Rothman — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 10:00:00 EST

In these shots, a ping-pong ball fired at an unnamed "near-sonic" speed destroys a metal can that, you'll note, is first dented just by the cushion of air coming from the barrel. Kinda makes you wonder how much devastation the cannon could have gotten done without any projectile at all. If this rings of deja-vu, it's because yesterday I posted a video series of a tennis-ball cannon that I mistakenly thought was the same device. Consider it a two-fer and enjoy the bonus annihilation. [Make]

Tennis Ball Howitzer Vs. Things You Find at a Grocery Store

Wilson Rothman — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 20:40:00 EST

Leave it to the geniuses at the NIT Physics Lab in Japan to build a cannon that fires ~~ping-pong~~ tennis balls at ~~near-sonic~~ 700 Km/h, annihilating cabbages, Coke bottles and what look like sundry colorfully packaged snack-food items. There's no dramatic tension here, just the satisfaction of seeing the strong overpower the weak. Want more? Update: Some of you pointed out inconsistencies that, upon review, turned out were the result of me reading one thing and watching another, combining the two into one big idea. My apologies.

I don't read Japanese, but this cabbage-penetration vid literally got me aroused, especially when they switch to slow-mo:

This final one has most of the quick shots from the first vid, only with more build-up and speed indicators:

[YouTube via Make—bonus crazy slow-mo ping-pong devastation pics there!]

Build Your Own Mofo Pneumatic Snowball Cannon

Charlie White — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 13:45:03 EST

You'd better be dead serious about your snowball fighting if you want to build this pneumatic snowball cannon. If you already own an air compressor, you can build it with $45 worth of parts and a heaping helping of patience. Team this sucker up with that Sno-baller we showed you earlier today, and your snowball-fighting army will be totally invincible. [Instructables]

Rose Petal Cannon: My Love Knows No Sane Boundaries

Brian Lam — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 23:45:35 EDT

I'm not getting married anytime soon, but if I were, I'd have to arm a platoon of flower girls with these Rose Petal Cannons. No better way to express undying love than with pyrotechnic floral buckshot. –Brian Lam

Rose Petal Cannon [Uber Review]