Seriously Overengineered Mousetrap

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By Sean Michael Ragan
Posted 2012/02/03 @ 9:03 am
Category Computers & Mobile, Craft, Electronics, Workshop

Jake Easton’s Better Mousetrap is electrically and pneumatically powered, weighs almost six pounds, features a key lock switch and a manual safety, and strikes with 102 pounds of force. I think they foleyed that crunching noise in the video, however. Sounds like a bag of Fritos, to me.

BY Sean Michael Ragan

I am descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using primates. Also, I went to college and stuff. I write for MAKE, serve as Technical Editor for MAKE magazine, and develop original DIY content for Make: Projects.

In the Maker Shed

13 Responses to Seriously Overengineered Mousetrap

bikehikeclimb on February 3rd, 2012 at 9:19 am said:

That would be one bloody mess with that amount of force…

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secretmanofagent on February 3rd, 2012 at 10:14 am said:

Wouldn’t a light spook a mouse away?

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boxysean on February 3rd, 2012 at 10:51 am said:

OWW

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Peter on February 3rd, 2012 at 12:07 pm said:

With all the engineering that went into this, they could have just as easily built a transporter pad and beamed the poor mouse out to the woods somewhere.

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engineerzero on February 3rd, 2012 at 2:18 pm said:

I think the real money these days — and technical challenge — is in non-lethal mouse trap technology. And think of the aftermarket. You build a machine to kill a mouse, and that’s the end of your cash flow. If you build a non-lethal mouse trap, then the live mouse will require additional services, such as transportation to a mouse sanctuary and while there, food and lifestyle enhancement and yes, birth control. People will also want web cams installed at the sanctuary to visit ‘their’ mouse, and an ad-banner revenue model might work.

Compassion is where the money is, Makers! Kill a mouse and you kill your meal ticket!

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- Londoner on March 12th, 2012 at 2:54 am said:
  
  Works either way, dead or alive. Think funeral services, floral tributes to the dear departed, grief counselling for relatives, handcrafted memorial portraits in oils. Not to mention those increased premiums for high risk life insurance. Limitless!
  
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Andy Callaway on February 3rd, 2012 at 9:27 pm said:

When it catches a mouse, does it send a tweet?

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sk8sonh2o on February 4th, 2012 at 5:12 am said:

Under – designed! The original spring-loaded one doesn’t break human fingers. Ergonomics, anyone? The spring-loaded one brings the bail down flat on 3 sides of the bait. Oh yeah, that Effectiveness thing. Whatever. It gets eyeballs, mission accomplished.

If you’re going to go to this length, how about some extra functionality? Becomes a baited lobster trap, dives overboard, and boils lobster at 7:35 pm?

Blazing Pencils

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Timothy Lee Russell on February 4th, 2012 at 4:38 pm said:

Cats are fundamentally more elegant.

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Bill Stewart on February 5th, 2012 at 2:46 pm said:

If you kill the mouse, you’ve failed. Live traps like the mouse-sized Hav-A-Heart are not only humane, but they’re also really elegant.

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- Christian Restifo (@restifo) on February 5th, 2012 at 5:15 pm said:
  
  In that case, my cat has failed numerous times. I’d call that inhumane, but how could I expect my cat to be more humane than feline?
  
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Tim Courtland on February 9th, 2012 at 2:54 am said:

Too bad the ultrasonic frequencies used in those transducers will deter the mouse from getting close to the trap. They use these frequencies in pest removal devices. But I suppose you still solve the mouse problem.

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