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$96 3D-printed rocket that recalculates its mid-air trajectory using a $5 sensor

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Re: $96 3D-printed rocket that recalculates its mid-air trajectory using a $5 sensor

#401

Post by bethekidyouwant »

icegreentea2 wrote: post #65
isoprophlex wrote: post #35

This is obviously a missile, and I'm not well-versed in weapons tech, but won't this need a camera to actually track and take out a flying object? So far I just see gps and barometric sensing... Also 3D printing and some electronics, ok fine, but where do you get the rocket propellant? That seems at least as critical as the software and sensing side of things...

Yeah, this current project uses external sensors (a camera array/grid) for guidance. He's using potassium nitrate/sugar as his rocket fuel.

I believe it currently actually does nothing of the sort

Re: $96 3D-printed rocket that recalculates its mid-air trajectory using a $5 sensor

#402

Post by bethekidyouwant »

awesomeMilou wrote: post #357
nine-one-two wrote: post #132

Check out his code. It’s a joke. His control loop is a naive proportional response that doesnt even account for error let alone interpolate trajectory. Look at rocket.txt and launcher.tx. Especially the “fusion” function. lol. Stay in school kid.

I like to put down peoples achievements to cope too sometimes, though usually not by insulting their code. This kid is likely only able to do what they're doing because their Mom and Dad can afford to buy them the tools (mainly a 3D printer and lots of powertools and other stuff) to live out their hobby like this. I didn't have that as a teen. But fuck me dude, even with that, he built a manpad in his garage. Like ev…

He built a model rocket that fires off of his shoulder out of his home. It’s a cool project, but I think people are right to push back on its purported functionality.

Re: $96 3D-printed rocket that recalculates its mid-air trajectory using a $5 sensor

#403

Post by embedding-shape »

CryptoBanker wrote: post #395

In the two test launches shown in the video, the "missile" doesn't fly straight nor does it demonstrate ability to be "guided" by the launcher towards any particular target. It's also incredibly slow. There are children's rocket kits that fly significantly faster than this.

Yeah, neither article nor the video itself talks about "accuracy" AFAIK, which seems like a kind of important thing in this whole concept, otherwise it's just a "horizontal rocket launcher" which is cool I guess, but not so close to a MANPAD.

The video is also cut in a way so you cannot tell that the launch seems to have been a complete failure? The rocket is vertical at the last frame: https://i.imgur.com/e2Kld6I.png

Re: $96 3D-printed rocket that recalculates its mid-air trajectory using a $5 sensor

#404

Post by nine_k »

CryptoBanker wrote: post #395

In the two test launches shown in the video, the "missile" doesn't fly straight nor does it demonstrate ability to be "guided" by the launcher towards any particular target. It's also incredibly slow. There are children's rocket kits that fly significantly faster than this.

I frankly would care little about the speed; it can always be improved with a better propellant. I would care about a cheap ability to guide the rocket. If it's there, it may be consequential for a real (para)military application.

(A quadcopter is perfectly guidable, but it must be slower than a rocket, and costs more than $96.)

Re: $96 3D-printed rocket that recalculates its mid-air trajectory using a $5 sensor

#405

Post by notlenin »

throwa356262 wrote: post #397
throw0101d wrote: post #392

On the defensive side, see perhaps this phased array radar system with a 20km range: * https://github.com/NawfalMotii79/PLFM_RADAR

What a time to be alive. In fact, I think I now have all I need to start a war with my neighbours.

you could have started a war with your neighbors using only sticks and stones - indeed, much of human history is people starting wars with their neighbors using weapons that we today would call primitive.

But now you can start a very destructive war with your neighbors. Thanks to modern technology, you don't have to bother beating your neighbor to death with a wooden club, you now can annihilate them, and basically anything in their immediate vicinity, from a comfortable distance :D

Re: $96 3D-printed rocket that recalculates its mid-air trajectory using a $5 sensor

#406

Post by giantg2 »

nine_k wrote: post #404
CryptoBanker wrote: post #395

In the two test launches shown in the video, the "missile" doesn't fly straight nor does it demonstrate ability to be "guided" by the launcher towards any particular target. It's also incredibly slow. There are children's rocket kits that fly significantly faster than this.

I frankly would care little about the speed; it can always be improved with a better propellant. I would care about a cheap ability to guide the rocket. If it's there, it may be consequential for a real (para)military application. (A quadcopter is perfectly guidable, but it must be slower than a rocket, and costs more than $96.)

Guidance systems have speed limitations. Just because it works when slow does not mean it will work if you upgrade propellant.

Re: $96 3D-printed rocket that recalculates its mid-air trajectory using a $5 sensor

#407

Post by NoSalt »

CryptoBanker wrote: post #395

In the two test launches shown in the video, the "missile" doesn't fly straight nor does it demonstrate ability to be "guided" by the launcher towards any particular target. It's also incredibly slow. There are children's rocket kits that fly significantly faster than this.

Baby steps ... with a few more contributors, this could be turned into, say, a $500.00 missile that works quite effectively.

Re: $96 3D-printed rocket that recalculates its mid-air trajectory using a $5 sensor

#408

Post by postalcoder »

notlenin wrote: post #405
throwa356262 wrote: post #397

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What a time to be alive. In fact, I think I now have all I need to start a war with my neighbours.

you could have started a war with your neighbors using only sticks and stones - indeed, much of human history is people starting wars with their neighbors using weapons that we today would call primitive. But now you can start a very destructive war with your neighbors. Thanks to modern technology, you don't have to bother beating your neighbor to death with a wooden club, you now can annihilate them, and basically a…

For the non-Americans, the modern technology you're referring to is the HOA.

Re: $96 3D-printed rocket that recalculates its mid-air trajectory using a $5 sensor

#409

Post by robertlagrant »

> Despite the tech-cool factor of the project, Tom's Hardware does not condone making your own weapons system at home.

Not that this matters for the topic, but I don't see why people have started saying "weapons system" instead of "weapon".

Re: $96 3D-printed rocket that recalculates its mid-air trajectory using a $5 sensor

#410

Post by cucumber3732842 »

I think with the proliferation and effectiveness of countermeasures passive target acquisition and first shot accuracy with traditional ballistic methods might be a better place to focus but I understand that's very hard to do nonprofessionally as an individual thanks to the rules and laws.

On the other hand, there is a lot to be said for making them blow their $1k active countermeasures on your $500 missiles before sending a real one in to finish the job. Heck, even just forcing your adversary to treat every sky like it's hostile is worth a lot.

Both approaches are clearly worthy of development.

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