This Guy Made a Working Laser Cannon Arm From ‘Metroid’

Anyone who’s ever played any of Nintendo’s Metroid games has only wanted to know one thing—how can I turn my arm into a laser cannon? Series protagonist and badass bounty hunter Samus Aran has turned her body into a weapon and, despite the impractically of giving over your entire left arm to destruction, the arm cannon has become an iconic element of the character and a staple of those cosplaying her. Many have made armcannons. Few have made arm cannons that fire a laser powerful enough to cause damage.

YouTuber Hyperlon is one of the few to master the art of the damaging arm cannon and he’s uploaded a video of himself using the machine to kill balloons. After a satisfying light and sound show as the laser builds up, the balloons pop as if they were genetically engineered Metroids caught in Samus' beam.

Hyperlon’s cannon uses a 2.5 watt laser, blue LEDS, and a whole bunch of custom designed 3D printed parts. He breaks down his methods and provided the print profiles and custom code he used to design the arm on instructables. In his post, Hyperlon noted that the cannon can take out more than just balloons. “It can also light matches, gunpowder, burn paper, or even punch through thin plexiglass,” he said.