Gravity Alone: Tom Stanton's Trebuchet Breaks the Sound Barrier

Tom Stanton's supersonic trebuchet breaks sound barrier with gravity alone

Tom Stanton has achieved a historic first: a trebuchet powered solely by gravity has broken the sound barrier, launching a 4-gram projectile at 776 mph. His innovative design uses a 3:1 pulley system and a carbon-fiber arm to overcome the limitations of free-fall acceleration. After iterative testing and refinements, the machine reached supersonic speeds, confirmed by a sonic boom.