Children

Rubber band gatling gun fires 800 "rounds" per minute

View 7 Images
Rubber Band Machine Gun
Rubber Band Machine Gun
With its Rubber Band Machine Gun, or RBmG for short, XYZbot hopes to bring a new level of firepower to living room warfare
The RBmG takes 64 rubber bands, though with care, XYZBot says it can be double loaded with 128
The RBmG takes 64 rubber bands, though with care, XYZBot says it can be double loaded with 128
XYXbot emphasizes that this shouldn't be used to fire rubber bands at other human beings
With its Rubber Band Machine Gun, or RBmG for short, XYZbot hopes to bring a new level of firepower to living room warfare
The RBmG takes 64 rubber bands, though with care, XYZBot says it can be double loaded with 128
View gallery - 7 images

With its Rubber Band Machine Gun, or RBmG for short, XYZbot hopes to bring a new level of firepower to living room warfare. The wooden, battery-powered gatling gun is capable of unleashing devastation at a rate of 800 rounds (well, rubber bands) per minute and, should its crowd funding campaign prove successful, it'll ship as a build-it-yourself kit you can put together in half an hour.

XYZbot says would-be gunsmiths will require only screwdrivers and pliers to assemble their ultimate weapons. Thoughtfully, the laser-cutting of the various bits is done in the factory in advance. There are some electronics to tinker with, and XYZbot reckons this is a good way to teach older children about motors.

The RBmG takes 64 rubber bands, though with care, XYZBot says it can be double loaded with 128.

Ol' painless

As Mike noted in his Firewheel article back in 2005, such launches will inevitably prompt discussions as to the wisdom of letting children play with toy guns. Judging by the video, the RBmG fires the bands at a relatively modest power, though presumably this will depend on the size and tension of the rubber bands loaded. XYZbot tells us that the kit will come with sufficient rubber bands of suitable size to fully load the gun. That aside, XYXbot emphasizes that this shouldn't be used to fire rubber bands at other human beings, and that the toy is aimed at children aged 12 and over.

In its Kickstarter campaign, XYZbot is asking for US$49 per kit, or $59 if you want one ahead of holiday season. The company thinks theirs is the only fully automatic rubber band gun available for under $100.

The campaign video embedded below is worth a quick look.

Sources: XYZbot, Kickstarter

View gallery - 7 images
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Flipboard
  • LinkedIn
8 comments
bobby12
Oh man...once the plans for these are available online, it looks like anyone will be able to make them. I'd extend the barrel a bit, to give the rubber bands some more punch. :-)
The Skud
The trouble is - it takes about 20 minutes to load another 60 - 100 or so rubber bands! Meanwhile, your enemy, with a notched stick and a pocket of bands, can wipe you out if you missed that first shot.
phluid
@ the skud, "with a notched stick and a pocket of bands, can wipe you out if you missed that first shot". Do you mean last shot?
Nantha Nithiahnanthan
This is the tech every kid has been dreaming off for the last century or more (since the rubber band was invented). Wow! FUN.
POOL PUMPREAPAIR guy longwood
Great item for show and tell at school, the way things are, this toy should land a 6 year prison sentence for a 6 yr old kid.
noteugene
I like it but I'd cream you with a slingshot. Bring it.
Schuyler19
i dunno....I think i'd rather have a marshmallow gun. This also doesn't shoot very far.
dalroth5
Or just use your hands and save the money....