Cannonballs for police officers and fire fighters
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The circus trick of firing a person from a cannon is being patented by DARPA as a way to get special forces, police officers and fire fighters onto the roofs of tall buildings faster.
A ramp with side rails would be placed on the ground near the target building at an angle of about 80°. A 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 released to shoot the chair up the ramp's 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 land on top of the building. To get the trajectory right, DARPA suggests a computer could automatically devise the correct angle and speed of ascent. The patent 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. Via New Scientist. Related: Pumpkin shooting. |
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hmmm, why does that remind me of knight rider? "kitt, i need to get on the roof!" - "ok michael."
Could it be that the device’s inventor, Mr Dean Kamen, might be none other than the inventor who gave us the Segway ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Kamen
p.s. he’s also known ( in some circles at least ) as ‘Lord Dumpling’
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Dumpling_Island