Tom Stanton's supersonic trebuchet breaks sound barrier with gravity alone
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A gravity-powered trebuchet, built by Tom Stanton, hurls a projectile at 776 mph, breaking the sound barrier.
Stanton's trebuchet uses a 40 kg weight dropped 1.9 meters to spin a carbon-fiber arm to 2,342 rpm, launching a 4-gram projectile at 776 mph (Mach 1.01). A 3:1 pulley system with a tapered drum varies torque for acceleration. The carbon-fiber arm weighs 116 grams. Testing increased from 10 kg to 40 kg; a 50 kg test broke the clasp. High-speed footage confirmed the 346.4 m/s velocity and sonic boom. The design achieves over 43% efficiency.
What commenters are saying
Commenters marvel at the engineering but debate practical use. Many see it as a cool gimmick, not a deployable system. Some imagine niche applications like avalanche control or seed bombing, while others note pneumatic launchers or pellet rifles are more practical for such tasks. A few question whether it could be built with medieval materials, citing the need for carbon fiber, precision bearings, and modern lubricants for the rotational speeds. The dominant view is that the achievement is impressive but not a step toward real-world utility.