Quote:
Originally Posted by HFCHS-NASA
How does a spring and cam system work? That sounds what we want to do.
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A cam is just a plate or something of the sort with an irregular shape. You attach it to an output shaft (geared up/down as necessary) and use it to stretch a spring or other elastic material (surgical tubing, for example). As it goes around, the object slips off of the cam and slams to equilibrium position. You can stop the cam each revolution using a sensor of some kind, so it doesn't fire continuously.
This video,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hTyXQUgYLE at 1:49 shows a cam-powered kicker running.