See The Terrifying Laser-Sighted Gun That Shoots Throwing Knives
A YouTuber by the name of Quint Builds designed a laser-sighted gun that shoots throwing knives.
We’ve found the perfect Christmas gift for the survivalist or zombie apocalypse enthusiast in your life: a knife-firing laser-sighted gun! It’s the mad-scientist brainchild invention of Quint Builds, a YouTube channel that boasts over half a million subscribers and features the creation of somewhat-useful contraptions using advanced engineering techniques. Quint, the Oregon-based engineer behind the Quint Builds channel, showed off the gun in his latest video, and believe it or not, he was inspired by action star Steven Seagal.
Quint holds a senior-level certification in Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T), an engineering standard that applies to the mechanical fitting of parts in machines. He’s one of only 500 people in the world to hold this certification, and that might be a blessing in disguise. The world may not be ready to have too many people running around who can create a laser-sighted gun that shoots knives at full auto.
According to the video, the knife-firing, laser-sighted gun uses a laser scope to measure the distance from the gun to the target. It then calculates a firing solution that will shoot throwing knives in rapid succession with such precision, the blade tip hits the target every time. It even uses infrared technology, so it can fire knives in the dark with the same precision.
Quint (with his son) originally started the YouTube channel to teach the basics of his engineering expertise to beginners and for educational purposes. Each video includes a lesson about the principles involved, making it the most metal way of teaching STEM/STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) principles to students. He said he was inspired to create the laser-sighted gun by seeing actor Steven Seagal use throwing knives in the film Under Siege, which appealed to his interest in martial arts.
The knife-throwing, laser-sighted gun actually resembles the long-frame, hip-mounted M134 Minigun used by Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2: Judgement Day, or the gun used by Vasquez in Aliens. That’s because it uses four servo motors to power a belt-and-pulley system to propel the throwing knives with amazing power and precision. Outside of the frame, many of the parts were 3D-printed by Quint himself, with his son programming it to properly fire the knives based on the laser-sight measurement.
After a lot of trial-and-error and problem-solving (a basis for STEM/STEAM education), Quint finally gets the laser-sighted gun to work, thanks to a LIDAR system that loads knives quickly, and an electromagnetic system that releases the knife at just the right time, with deadly precision. It’s so precise, in fact, that Quint noted that the gun cannot remain stationary and must be in motion while firing, otherwise the knives will hit the target on top of each other, at the exact same spot. He even went so far as to use a special steel alloy that could be used with a magnetic loader, to release at the right time and not bend when it hits the target.
While the engineering lessons behind a knife-throwing, laser-sighted gun probably aren’t appropriate for young kids, it is perfect for older students with internet in building and STEM/STEAM principles.
