Mini Crossbow Shoots Flaming Firework Darts
|
An old war innovation got a modern makeover in the form of a tiny crossbow capable of firing flaming projectiles. Just don't let anyone with the device near your friendly neighborhood game of darts.
The crossbow's body is made of solid sterling silver and 22-karat gold. Such elegance in a tiny weapon might be considered the calling card of inventor T. Shamir, who lists the occupation of jewelry designer on his YouTube page. The video was pointed out by Reddit users and MSNBC's Gadgetbox.
"Although it is intended as a high-quality jewelry piece, it functions quite well as a miniature weapon and is able to inflict significant damage," Shamir wrote in a video description.
The steel bow and string of the trigger-fired crossbow require a draw force of almost 6 pounds in order to load the tiny weapon for action. Shamir also included two tiny sights for aiming. [Snipers Get Laser-Adjusted Sights for Lethal Shots ]
Ammunition includes a basic aluminum bolt with a steel tip, a "ramming arrow" with a flat steel head, and a "flaring arrow" that has a needle protruding in front of a flammable "flaring head."
Historically, crossbows packed a greater punch than traditional bows because warriors could use cranks to draw back the strings requiring much greater force a force that would be unleashed in firing the projectile. Crossbows also allowed warriors to cock and aim the weapons without the constant arm strain of keeping a bow bent back.
Shamir previously created a miniature cannon. He admitted that the crossbow had required much more work, but added that it boasted a few advantages over its larger counterparts.
"This miniature crossbow works in exactly the same way as the common full-size hunting crossbow, but in terms of power to weight ratio, the mini crossbow is almost 4X stronger," Shamir said.
The simple effectiveness of crossbows has continued in their modern-day use with certain Special Forces units around the world. China's ordinary soldiers and riot police still carry the weapon as well, according to The Telegraph. That's part of a Chinese tradition which goes back to at least 400 B.C., and may continue well into a futuristic age of laser weapons .
