Thought I’d share a couple projects from my youth…
First: The CRA-Z-BOY
What happens when you have a chair and pair of skis sitting around? In short, the Cadillac of the hills!
One would expect the high centre of gravity to cause a tripping hazard, but field tests proved that it was quite safe.
Once the snow melted, the CRA-Z-BOY was repurposed to a slightly more obscure task… Ziplining.
As enjoyable as the ride was, landing the CRA-Z-BOY at the other end proved to be difficult. Instead of a Tom Cruise on the USS Nimitz, it was more like the FedEx plane Tom Hanks took to that island.
Secondly, the SSURF Airsoft Cannon:
The Solid-State, Ultra-Rapid Fire (SSURF) cannon was a crude attempt at battlefield superiority. The magazine (latex tubing) could hold 400 rounds, all of which were expended within 7 seconds of constant fire. The firing rate is comparable to that of the M134, which Jesse Ventura used to level the rainforest in Predator. As the name suggests, it contained no moving parts (aside from the valve) and was essentially a BB venturi assembly. It proved to be surprisingly powerful, as was demonstrated in a laboratory test which resulted in a full Coca-Cola can explosion.
It was ultimately scrapped due its two primary shortcomings: it required an air supply (typically a portable air tank with ~100 PSI of pressure) and field tests demonstrated that it was equally effective against foe and friend. For the meager 7 seconds of usable firepower it provided in a battle, even the most daring of fighters would take cover against the hail of plastic. No fighter on either side could advance or retreat until the magazine had been depleted.