Throwbot (Atlatl throwing robot) Tests

In this video I show some test footage of a machine I'm working on, which I call Throwbot, or "Bertha". The device is a work in progress, and still being developed. When it's complete, the machine will be used to cut human error in certain types of experiments with atlatls and darts. This is not the first atlatl throwing machine, but it may well be the second. The first followed a different design, and was built by David Cain and described in his 2012 master's thesis "Sticks with Stones: Controlled Experimentation in the Use of the Weighted Atlatl". I hope you enjoy the video!

[@josephbishopbackwoodssurvi3918]

Pretty cool

[@h2o270]

I wonder is surgical tubing would work better? How do you match it to the force a human has? Very interesting idea.

[@BasketmakerII]

Hi Ron, I tried rubber as well. I also built a giant slingshot calibrated for adjustable power levels, but there were some disadvantages. The biggest was that the material just doesn't store the energy as efficiently as a steel spring, so the power stroke (and therefore the arm behind the pivot) has to be longer. Using metal springs lets the machine be more compact, and portable, which is important to be able to move it around easily. To match human power with something like this, my approach is to use a spring with greater energy storage than an atlatl throw when stretched the required length and let up tension until the velocity of the darts matches human throws when checked by a radar gun.