This Tesla coil gun will shock you
Inspired by a graphic novel, one author-turned-mad-scientist creates a steampunk shooter that fires sparks in the name of science.
Forget about those paltry tazers and stun guns. (Click to enlarge.)
(Credit: Rob Flickenger)If electricity pioneer Nikola Tesla designed a weapon, it very well might look like Rob Flickenger's Tesla Gun.
The self-described "mad science" enthusiast dreamed up a Tesla rifle after reading the graphic novel "The Five Fists of Science," which features a cover image of a young Tesla wielding several weapons with a built-in Tesla coil.
Flickenger tapped "Seattle's many hackerspaces" to help design and build the Tesla coil cannon over the course of many months. The high-voltage gun balances seriously dangerous science and an array of everyday electrical components capable of firing off 20,000 volts of hair-raising power with a simple click of a trigger.
Click through our gallery of photos provided by the mad scientist to see the creation of the Tesla gun, which contains complex innards and many custom parts.
For any non-believers, Flickenger also uploaded a video of the spark shooter in action. What would you do with this kind of power?
