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Navy rail gun video — Parallax Forums

Navy rail gun video

Martin HodgeMartin Hodge Posts: 1,246
edited 2010-12-13 16:43 in General Discussion
What is your guess as to how the camera is able to follow the projectile at 0:29?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BfU-wMwL2U

Comments

  • legoman132legoman132 Posts: 87
    edited 2010-12-12 11:33
    looks to me like the camera at :29 is filming the projectile after leaving what looks like a bunker with a target inside, taking away most of the projectile's energy, but still traveling very fast.
  • hover1hover1 Posts: 1,929
    edited 2010-12-12 16:21
    I think Martin's question was, what kind of sensor and tracking device would it take to hold a camera on the projectile. Looks like the tracking device lost it at the end.

    Maybe something taking out of the Matrix filming? :)

    Jim
  • W9GFOW9GFO Posts: 4,010
    edited 2010-12-12 16:28
    My guess is that a mirror or prism is used, timed to start rotating when the gun is fired. I suspect there has been many firings so that the timing could be perfected.

    Rich H
  • ratronicratronic Posts: 1,451
    edited 2010-12-12 16:33
    I'd like to see what it hit?
  • Martin HodgeMartin Hodge Posts: 1,246
    edited 2010-12-12 16:40
    My guess is there's no moving parts at all. It's a specially designed, high definition image sensor that has a very wide aspect ratio and is capable of capturing thousands of frames per second. The framing is static during the shot and the "panning" is done in software after the recording.
  • ElectricAyeElectricAye Posts: 4,561
    edited 2010-12-12 20:57
    Martin Hodge wrote: »
    My guess is there's no moving parts at all. It's a specially designed, high definition image sensor that has a very wide aspect ratio and is capable of capturing thousands of frames per second. The framing is static during the shot and the "panning" is done in software after the recording.



    I think W9GFO is correct. If you watch the ground as the camera follows the projectile, you might get the sense the camera field of view is rotating around a vertical line not terribly far from the projectile path. Whereas a high def image with panning done in software wouldn't give that sense of pivoting since the camera would have to be located fairly far away.
  • lardomlardom Posts: 1,659
    edited 2010-12-13 07:44
    That rail gun has enough power to dim the lights. If it is electromagnetic why does it look like there was an explosion? (Unless the electromagnetism was maglev for an irregularly shaped, non-spinning projectile.)
    The more I look the more it makes sense so a better question is what can this high tech cannon do that a conventional one cannot?
  • RagtopRagtop Posts: 406
    edited 2010-12-13 10:10
    Explosion? I was wondering the same thing.

    I always thought railguns would make great launchers of SAMs because no plume
    back to where they launched. Once the missile reached a target altitude it would
    ignite it's rocket and go into search mode for something to run into.
  • KaosKiddKaosKidd Posts: 296
    edited 2010-12-13 12:39
    The explosion you hear is the super heated air sourrounding the projectile as it is compressed into a cone at the leading edge of the projectile as it is excelerated to 4 or 5 times the speed of sound; the fasted projectile ever created. It's not the rail gun that is the world record, and it's not the projectile or camera, it is infact the fasted projectile ever fired that is the world record. As if you look at the excelrator rails, it's less then 50 ft in length. That's nearly a 789 ft to 10ft exceleration ratio!

    KK
  • $WMc%$WMc% Posts: 1,884
    edited 2010-12-13 16:43
    It looks to me like their using a small explosive charge to start the projectile into the mag chamber. I think this is were the flash and smoke is coming from.
    '
    I thought I caught a glimpse of a Propeller sticker. Could they be using a Prop to fire the IGBTs?
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