Hack: Turn a toy gun into a motion-activated water gun turret
Water gun fights are a great way to beat the heat and demonstrate your military skills. But the pump-action water guns we grew up just don't seem as impressive anymore. What if you could turn a plastic toy gun into a motion-activated water gun turret?
According to Jason Poel Smith for Make Magazine: "The gun is controlled with an infrared motion sensor and an Arduino microcontroller. The motion sensor detects when someone walks in front of the gun, and then the Arduino activates a relay that is connected to the trigger and fires the gun. You can set it up in a hall or in a doorway and it will shoot anyone who walks by. This is a fun way to prank your friends."
About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
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