Proclaim your independence with this laser Gatling gun
Laser wizard Patrick Priebe has outdone himself with his latest work, a two-handed barrel of six rotating lasers. Balloons, your time is up!
Happy Fourth of July! High-tech listening devices are making it harder and harder to get away with celebratory gunfire on Independence Day, but what if you have a laser gun? Or better yet, a laser Gatling gun?
Last time we caught up with laser craftsman Patrick Priebe, we were blown away by his functional Iron Man gauntlet. Now he's unveiled a laser Gatling gun, and it is blindingly awesome. Literally.
The prototype gun has a rotating barrel of six Class 4 Arctic laser modules from Wicked Lasers. When it spins, it sends out a tube of laser light that can vaporize a balloon almost instantly. Wouldn't that go perfectly with fireworks?
The laser Gatling also has a bright green Krypton laser for targeting.
The gun is about 25 inches long and weighs some 8.5 pounds, so it's really a two-handed weapon, according to Priebe. The shell is made of about 60 aluminum parts that are spray-painted with black automotive paint.
The gun takes eight regular AA batteries for the motor, pointing laser, and LED logo, as well as four lithium ion cells for the 1.4-watt Arctic lasers.
The axle is held in place by four bearings, and it has an adjustable rotation speed.
Asked how he came up with the idea for a Gatling laser, Priebe simply says, "I had a rough idea of the design in my head. The rest, as always, was part by part, step by step."
But would he ever take it outside to celebrate a national holiday? Or perhaps ward off a squad of Terminators?
"It's too dangerous for outside use. So, no. It's strictly for display only."
Well, at least we can imagine wielding it from the video below. Enjoy.