From New Scientist Technology, your ACME Inc. update

[substitute]

Human cannonballs

The old circus trick of firing a person from a cannon is being considered by the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) as a way to get special forces, police officers and fire fighters onto the roofs of tall buildings in a hurry.

A ramp with side rails would be placed on the ground near the target building at an angle of about 80°. A (very brave) person would then sit in a chair, like a pilot’s ejection seat, attached to the ramp.

Compressed air from a cylinder underneath would be rapidly released to shoot the chair up the ramp's guide rails. At the top the chair would come to an instant halt, leaving the person to fly up and over the edge of the roof, to hopefully land safely on top of the building.

Of course, the trick is to get the trajectory just right. But the DARPA patent suggests a computer could automatically devise the correct angle and speed of ascent. It also claims that a 4-metre-tall launcher could put a man on the top of a 5 storey building in less than 2 seconds. I think I'll take the stairs.

Read the full patent here.

Source: http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn9170-invention-human-cannonballs.html

Comments

[miss-education.livejournal.com]

Strangely, I think I'd enjoy it.

[fattmike.livejournal.com]

I'll be anxiously awaiting the home edition. I suppose it will be prudent to remove the picture I have on the wall opposite my second floor landing.

[besskeloid.livejournal.com]

My ribs, my ribs!

[namja.livejournal.com]

Dude, computers can't consistently autopay my bills for me. Like I'm gonna let one of those things mathmetize my trajectory onto a roof.

Very funny

[mrhinelander.livejournal.com]

Quality joke, Mr. Namja, damn there's some funny people read substitute...

[trinnit.livejournal.com]

I remember playing this game. It involved 2 tanks, varying terrain and wind.

It took quite a few "test shots" to get the right trajectory.

[brianenigma.livejournal.com]

What ever happened to good ol' fashioned guns-that-shoot-grappling-hooks?

Beats boiling oil

[mrhinelander.livejournal.com]

For one moment, I thought, "Who would want to use this?" The moment ended, all them special forces and firefighters will be all over it.

If you want evidence, I refer you to castle storming. What one of them guys wouldn't have given for this thingy, when they were accomplishing the SAME THING with a ladder, with cows and boiling oil being dumped on them.

No thanks

[kraq.livejournal.com]

Ummm... shot onto the roof of a burning building?

DARPA seems to have jumped shark after that whole interweb thing.