Smashy
09-13-2008, 11:07
The Department of Justice has awarded a $254,889 federal grant to the New Jersey Institute of Technology so the Newark university can continue developing its child-proof "smart gun" technology, members of New Jersey's congressional delegation announced today.
NJIT has spent the last nine years on a "dynamic grip recognition" technology that can identify gun owners based on how they squeeze the trigger. The technology uses sensors located in the gun to identify unconscious, reflexive actions unique to each person and then decides whether the gunman is authorized to fire the weapon.
http://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates_impact/2008/09/medium_SMARTGUN.jpg
University officials say it works 99 percent of the time when paired with an off-the-shelf handgun outfitted with green and red lights to indicate whether the embedded circuitry decided to fire or not. They have tested it successfully with shooters wearing gloves, under timed conditions to simulate stressful conditions and using alternate hands.
They plan to use the $254,889 federal grant to develop a working handgun prototype that includes an electronic firing mechanism, said Donald Sebastian, senior vice president for research and development at NJIT. Having a prototype with an electronic firing mechanism would free up space in the handgun for the computer circuitry and battery needed to operate the "dynamic grip recognition."
"The project team looks forward to using this new grant to solve the challenge of adding firing control to produce a complete prototype weapon that validates the child-safe handgun concept," he said.
The funding was added as an earmark to last year's annual Congressional appropriation bill by U.S. Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-8th District).
"Smart gun technology holds the potential to dramatically reduce the number of children involved in handgun related shootings," said Pascrell. "From aspirin containers, to cigarette lighters and baby car seats, the government has wisely implemented safety guidelines. Yet handguns, which kill a staggering number of kids, have been off limits to safety improvements. With this critical grant funding, NJIT will continue its national leadership in developing safer, smarter guns."
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/09/njit_gets_250k_to_keep_develop.html
NJIT has spent the last nine years on a "dynamic grip recognition" technology that can identify gun owners based on how they squeeze the trigger. The technology uses sensors located in the gun to identify unconscious, reflexive actions unique to each person and then decides whether the gunman is authorized to fire the weapon.
http://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates_impact/2008/09/medium_SMARTGUN.jpg
University officials say it works 99 percent of the time when paired with an off-the-shelf handgun outfitted with green and red lights to indicate whether the embedded circuitry decided to fire or not. They have tested it successfully with shooters wearing gloves, under timed conditions to simulate stressful conditions and using alternate hands.
They plan to use the $254,889 federal grant to develop a working handgun prototype that includes an electronic firing mechanism, said Donald Sebastian, senior vice president for research and development at NJIT. Having a prototype with an electronic firing mechanism would free up space in the handgun for the computer circuitry and battery needed to operate the "dynamic grip recognition."
"The project team looks forward to using this new grant to solve the challenge of adding firing control to produce a complete prototype weapon that validates the child-safe handgun concept," he said.
The funding was added as an earmark to last year's annual Congressional appropriation bill by U.S. Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-8th District).
"Smart gun technology holds the potential to dramatically reduce the number of children involved in handgun related shootings," said Pascrell. "From aspirin containers, to cigarette lighters and baby car seats, the government has wisely implemented safety guidelines. Yet handguns, which kill a staggering number of kids, have been off limits to safety improvements. With this critical grant funding, NJIT will continue its national leadership in developing safer, smarter guns."
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/09/njit_gets_250k_to_keep_develop.html