As the red licorice wars rage on inextinguishably, it appears that Team Red Vines has a new advantage over Team Twizzlers—[TVMiller]’s voice activated, room-tracking, catapult-launching, magazine reloading Arduino licorice launcher.
Hacking and snacking often go hand in hand. They go together even better if you have a robot that can throw a tasty treat to you on command. That’s the dream behind this candy catapult. We’ve featured quite a few of [TVMiller]’s projects in the past, so we know he spends a lot of time hacking. So, how does this licorice launcher work to him keep going?
Like we said, it’s voice activated. The robot answers to ‘Jacob’ and acts upon hearing the words ‘red vine’. Jacob locks on to the direction of the voice and turns himself to face it. Then he launches the payload. Since Jacob is magazine-reloading, there’s always a Red Vine in the chamber for [TVMiller]’s snack attacks. After the launch, the licorice at the bottom of the stack drops into a slot in the receiving cradle. A twist of the cradle loads it into the trebuchet. Watch Jacob slay a craving after the break.
A candy dispenser that makes you answer trivia questions correctly before giving up the goods is about as far away from ‘Jacob, Red Vine’ as you can get, but at least you’ll feel more like you’ve earned it.
Slight correction…Jacob is my AI (other projects on HaD.io introduce “him”) and “he” triggers the Arduino to track an empty RF signal from a transmitter on my persons. The reciever on the launcher finds a wave balance and fires in this proximity. Side note, intended to add an ultrasonic sensor to focus distance, but got bored, meh. All tge same, thanks HaD and Kristina! #TeamRedVines
Jarvis?
Awesome. :D
I always thought pez dispensers begged for more muzzle energy… but I figure tic tacs and airsoft could be an easier match.
Go on…I’m listening. 150 psi tank and a Batman dispenser.
Then you just need to rig a cylinder to whip his head back like the Batmobile got rearended by ThrustSSC
TeamDeliciousStraw > TeamWaxyPlastic
Testify
This is amazing!
This is how you know we are living in the future. Nice hack.
P.S.
I hope that’s RoHS compliant solder.
Don’t worry, the lead is passivated by the formaldehyde in the MDF…. protip, if you infuse the magazine with mercury, they won’t stick when humidity is high.
But he is already using the red licorice and not the toxic black stuff!
Have to be careful with delicious projectiles smaller than your piehole, lest your delivery system suffer a bout of extreme accuracy and you inadvertently aspirate the catapulted confection.
The project is very nice but looking the video makes me think that one should always wash his hands after touching the solder that contains lead and before eating something. Lead is very dangerous
And I bet it also works with ACTUAL licorice. You know, the kind that’s made of licorice root and salmiac.
I’m wondering if it would work with Slim Jim snaxs.
It would probably work with cigarettes, just shout “Jacob, give me cancer!”
“Jacob, send that cool refreshing smooth flavor” sponsored by The Colgate Hour and John Wayne