Vortex Cannon

[scmhogg]

This is a "blast".

http://www.buzzfeed.com/scott/giant-vortex-cannon

Steve

[cabinetman]

That's pretty incredible. I wonder what the recoil is like. I wouldn't trade a 105 for it.
.

[cgallery]

Neat, but I imagine its range is very limited.

I'd like to try it on the leaves on my lawn in the fall.

[crokett]

Kinda cool but he seemed way too happy that things were falling over.

[LCHIEN]

they experimented with much bigger ones in WWII in England for knocking German Bombers out of the sky.... I don't think it worked well enough, I think they had a knock down range of only a football field or two. but we did win the war BTW... Ha, Ha.

[Kristofor]

With a range like that they'd still be an option for controlling soccer hooligans, maybe they need to dust off their prototypes...

[cgallery]

With a range like that they'd still be an option for controlling soccer hooligans, maybe they need to dust off their prototypes...

I wonder what that would feel like?

If I was standing where the targets in the video were placed, would this thing just knock me over? Or would it create organ damage?

[LCHIEN]

the vortexes off the wing tips of 747s taking off and landing at airports have been known to cause 737s and smaller planes nearby and several seconds later to lose control and crash.

The thing about a vortex is that the ring behavior is stable and sort of coherent and travels intact unlike a puff of air which dissipates rapidly. An analogy is a laser beam compared to an ordinary light source.

reference article for further reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vortex

[LCHIEN]

I wonder what that would feel like?

If I was standing where the targets in the video were placed, would this thing just knock me over? Or would it create organ damage?

Wonder Weapons

The Pentagon's quest for nonlethal arms is amazing. But is it smart?

By Douglas Pasternak
US News and World Report
Posted 6/29/97

VORTEX WEAPONS! These arms can knock down people or even aircraft The vortex gun expels a doughnut-shaped shock wave that could knock people down. The gun could also be filled with gases or chemical agents. A vortex ring of pepper spray, for instance, would stun its victims with both a physical blow and a chemical irritant. Status: Prototypes exist. They may be hand held or vehicle mounted Explosive charge creates vortex in shock tube The vortex ring would travel at hundreds of miles per hour The vortex ring must spin at Mach 1 or faster to create shock wave Shock wave hits body SMACK!(r)MDSU¯(r)MDNM¯ They may also contain chemical agents such as pepper spray

Vortex technology The vortex gun fires a doughnut-shaped wave with a powerful center. Lab tests show vortexes can break wooden boards across a room. When they strike a person, the effect is like being hit with a heavy blanket.

[cgallery]

When they strike a person, the effect is like being hit with a heavy blanket.

I'm probably alone in this, but if I knew that it wouldn't cause any serious damage, I'd give it a shot.

[LCHIEN]

I'm probably alone in this, but if I knew that it wouldn't cause any serious damage, I'd give it a shot.

what if the blanket was travelling 200 mph?

[Rand]

That reminded me of a toy I bought for my nephew some years ago.

http://www.airzookatoys.com/

[cgallery]

what if the blanket was travelling 200 mph?

I think I'd start from a little further away. I'd just like to feel the shock wave, I don't need it to lift me off my feet.