Cube Wars Part VII, Rise of the Open Source Project Sentry Nerf Gun

Friday, March 14, 2014

Cube Wars Part VII, Rise of the Open Source Project Sentry Nerf Gun

Hack a Day - Open-Source Sentry Gun Plans Promise the Next Level of Office Warfare

We admit it, we were browsing Reddit when we found this beautifully hacked together Nerf Sentry turret. But are we ever glad we did — as it turns out, it was built based off of the totally awesome, open-source Project Sentry Gun.

We have actually covered a project that used this system before, but it looks like it has evolved a bit more since then. It’s just too cool not to share.

The system itself is quite simple and easy to build. You’re going to need three servo motors, an Arduino, a webcam, and assorted wires, nuts and bolts, etc etc. Grab a copy of the code, slap it all together, and you’re ready for business...

Project Sentry Gun

On this site we have published complete directions on how to make your own sentry gun, which autonomously tracks, aims, and shoots at targets, using:

An airsoft or paintball gun

A webcam to find targets

A computer to process the video feed and aim the gun

Servo motors aim the gun and squeeze the trigger

A controller to interface between the computer and the servo motors

We are a unique project in that everything we do is completely open-source. This includes 100% of our code, as well as our electrical schematics, and even the CAD design files for our Standalone Controller. Our system has been used on six continents and in more than 20 countries (so far), and is even used by the Australian Navy in their training program.

Here's a video of our latest paintball sentry gun, the Gladiator II, in action:

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