3D printing used to make first real handheld railgun, which fires plasma projectiles at 560 mph

October 20th, 2015

Awake Goy

The portable device works just like a full-size railgun, using electromagnetic technology to fire projectiles. But it’s important to note that this portable railgun isn’t quite as lethal as a military-grade railgun. While 560 mph projectiles can certainly do some damage, a military railgun can accelerate a projectile to speeds exceeding 13,000 mph in just 0.2 seconds.

Here’s a video of the man test firing a graphite rod at an aluminum-backed plywood target:

And here’s a second video of an aluminum rod being test fired:

The latter reached its target and the impact can be seen, while the former “probably just vaporized” before reaching the plywood.

A few more images of the incredible project follow below, and the full gallery is linked down in our source section.