For your hands only: Bond-style ‘smart gun’ controlled solely by owner is now real
Californians can now buy the first ever handgun that only fires when operated by its owner – as wielded by Judge Dredd and James Bond.
Designed by German manufacturer Armatrix, the iP1 gun comes with a watch to be worn by the owner (the watch is sold at a separate price). Both are implanted with RFID chips – which within ten inches of each interact at a certain frequency, turning the gun ‘on’.
“A Smart System gun will only shoot if it is within range of this
watch. It is possible to release the safety mechanism via the
radio-controlled watch activated by means of a PIN code. As soon
as the gun loses radio contact with the watch – e.g. if it is
knocked out of the shooter’s hand or in case of loss, theft, etc.
– it automatically deactivates itself,” says a statement on
the Armatix website.
The small Bavarian company claims that “mechanical innovation
in revolvers, handguns and rifles has been all but exhausted, and
this has been the case for decades now. Any progress will and can
only be electronic in nature”, and says that this milestone
brings “gun safety into the 21st century.”
As well as preventing accidental shootings and the wrong people
from getting their hands on a live weapon, Armatrix assures that
the technology won’t fail at the most important moment. RFID
chips are an established technology that is used in thousands of
objects from passports to sheep trackers, and the watch contains
enough battery for a year’s worth of standby.
The idea of a futuristic gun that would only yield to its owner’s
wishes has been around for decades – as far back as the Lawmaker
operated by comic book hero Judge Dredd in the 1970s that was
activated by his DNA, and as recently as James Bond’s weapon in
latest film Skyfall, which recognizes only his palm print.
Legislatures in Germany and the US have also considered laws to
encourage safer weapons – but have come up against the obstacle
of existing guns that don’t fulfil the technological criteria.
Several companies have explored different identification
technologies, chiefly RFID and biometric scanners, but Armatrix
managed to beat its rivals to the market.
Yet many remain skeptical that the iP1 is anything more than
gimmick at the current stage.
Its main issues appear to be its high price – $1,399, which
together with the $399 watch is nearly three times as much as a
Glock, – and the continuing dominance of conventional pistols,
meaning its impact will be negligible in the short run.
“We are very skeptical of what this technology can accomplish.
You’re really affecting a very small portion of the gun-buying
public,” Josh Sugarmann, the chief of Violence Policy
Center, an anti-gun group, told the Washington Post.
But Ron Conway, a Silicon Valley investor who has teamed up with
relatives of the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre, to introduce
a $1 million prize for ground-breaking ‘smart gun’ technology, is
taking a longer view.
“You let the free enterprise system take over. Just like everyone
opted into the iPhone and abandoned the flip phone and
BlackBerry, consumers will vote with their feet. We want gun
owners to feel like they are dinosaurs if they aren’t using smart
guns,” he said.
