Auto-aiming Flywheel Turret

The Auto Flywheel Turret is a fully autonomous projectile launching platform that combines mechanical power, computer vision, and embedded control to track and engage targets in real time. Designed as both a learning project and a demonstration of practical mechatronics, this turret showcases how modern robotics techniques can bring mechanical systems to life — and launch projectiles at high speed while doing it.

At its heart, the turret features dual high-RPM flywheels that spin in opposite directions. When a projectile is fed between them, the flywheels grip it and transfer tangential energy via friction, launching it forward at velocities of up to 30–40 m/s, depending on flywheel RPM and compression tuning. The wheels are driven by brushless DC motors, and the entire launching assembly is designed in CAD using OnShape, with emphasis on alignment, balance, and modularity.

The turret rotates on a 2-DOF platform, giving it pan and tilt control for aiming. Servo motors or stepper motors (depending on your version) handle the movement, driven by feedback loops controlled via an Arduino Uno. The Arduino also manages motor control, projectile feed timing, and the firing trigger, acting as the system's real-time logic brain.

For target acquisition, the turret uses a standard webcam module connected to a computer running OpenCV. The OpenCV script handles visual processing, using color tracking, contour detection, or even facial recognition to identify a target. Once a target is located, the system calculates the necessary angle deltas and communicates these over serial to the Arduino, which adjusts turret position accordingly. When the target is centered and the flywheels have reached their operating RPM, the turret automatically fires.