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Smart Gun with Minicam and Biometric Access

StrawberryFrog writes "Ya well no fine, those crazy South Africans are at it again, this time with a "intelligent firearm". You may have heard of guns with fingerprint recognition before, but this also uses a laser to ignite the propellant, has multiple barrels and incorporates a minicam to record as evidence what you are shooting at. It's a very different gun design, and one that depends on electronics to make it work."

37 of 569 comments (clear)

  1. Next headline... by Phoenix823 · · Score: 5, Funny

    X10 enters the firearm business.

    1. Re:Next headline... by Chris_Stankowitz · · Score: 4, Funny
      X10 enters the firearm business.

      I can see it now.....

      This just in

      Cop can't get off shot at criminals because of annoying pop-ups.

    2. Re:Next headline... by pyrote · · Score: 4, Funny

      ..incorporates a minicam to record as evidence what you are shooting at

      When it hits the US shelves...Can't wait for the TV show:
      Americas funniest homicides

      as long as they dont get bob saget to commentary. "oooh right in the groin, thats got to hurt"

      --
      THE WORLD IS GOING TO END!!!! eventually.
    3. Re:Next headline... by Stuart+Gibson · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I can't wait until the same thing happens with this as did with uncopyable CDs.

      "Ha", say the manfacturers, "our in built camera will be an admissible piece of evidence in a homicide case".

      "Ha", says user, "Just let me find a piece of duct tape".

      Goblin

      --
      It's all fun and games until a 200' robot dinosaur shows up and trashes Neo-Tokyo... Again
  2. Judge Dredd Comes to Life. by Malicious · · Score: 3, Funny

    Now to ensure my clone never gets his hands on my gun...

    --
    01101001001000000110000101101101001000000110001001 10000101110100011011010110000101101110
    1. Re:Judge Dredd Comes to Life. by afidel · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I would guess these will be like police radios now, use lead acid batteries that can take the huge number of recharge cycles. That way you just put the gun and the radio in a charger stand at the end of your shift and pick them up the next day. Because they are biometrically signed you might not even have to lock them up (anymore than they already are by virtue of being in a police station). Here in the states though I doubt they will catch on. Police officers lives depend on their sidearms every time they go out, jamming a bunch of unproven electronics into a violent container doesn't sound like my idea of high reliability. Unless these are field proven by something like the isrealie police I don't think many departments here would buy in.

      --
      There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
  3. Thinkgeek? by jmays · · Score: 5, Funny

    What I want to know is when Thinkgeek will be carrying these ... any bets?

    --
    KARMA TAG! You're it.
    1. Re:Thinkgeek? by JDWTopGuy · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yeah, I was wondering why this was posted under "Toys"...

      --
      Ron Paul 2012
  4. Only one thing missing... by Graspee_Leemoor · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Red LED display of number of rounds left. (Preferably facing the user when held, so no-one else can see it).

    graspee

    1. Re:Only one thing missing... by Cyno01 · · Score: 4, Funny
      Red LED display of number of rounds left. (Preferably facing the user when held, so no-one else can see it).
      Yeah, cuz if it were on the other end we wouldn't have to ask the punk if he felt lucky.
      --
      "Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
    2. Re:Only one thing missing... by PD · · Score: 5, Funny

      "Can you see that little red number, punk?" Doesn't have quite the same ring to it.

  5. I smell a lawsuit! by wileycoyoteacme · · Score: 5, Funny

    Great, can't wait to see the headlines: Dumbass kills self while trying to take picture, family sues gun manufacturer.

    --
    Insert witty comment here
  6. Backup by Citizen+of+Earth · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's a very different gun design, and one that depends on electronics to make it work.

    You might want to carry a revolver in your sock for when the OS crashes.

  7. ya well no fine by circletimessquare · · Score: 4, Funny

    "ya well no fine"?

    am i having a stroke and losing the ability to decipher english? what does this mean? ;-P

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    1. Re:ya well no fine by CaseyB · · Score: 3, Informative

      This says it's South African for "I'm bored".

    2. Re:ya well no fine by Nurf · · Score: 4, Informative

      Heh. Actually, it is spelt "Ja well no fine". It has a bunch of uses, and is a sort of catchall phase for some people.

      It can be used to indicate agreement about something that will soon be done. "Ja well no fine, let's go sort it out" would be a classic use.

      It is a sort of shorthand. "Ja" = "Yes". "Well" is used as in English meaning as a scatting word "welllll", or to mean that things (or you) are well. "No" indicates that nothing is wrong (as if the other person had asked if there was a problem), and the "fine" is to back this up.

      "Ja well no fine" = "Yes all is well, no really, it's fine"

      or

      "Ja well no fine" = "Yes! ummmm... no, definitely, it's fine!".

      The second use would be when you have made a strong decision.

      It's hard to pin down, but I think that will do as a start. The link some other guy posted about it meaning "I'm bored" is just wrong, in my opinion.

      There. I bet you wished you never asked. :-)

      --
      ---
  8. Sigh by molrak · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's also a gun easily disabled by an electro-magnetic pulse, which is especially relevant since the military now has EMP bombs.

    --
    You're only as smart as your brain.
    1. Re:Sigh by Christopher+Thomas · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It's also a gun easily disabled by an electro-magnetic pulse, which is especially relevant since the military now has EMP bombs.

      The military will always have their own weapons; they won't be stuck using something so failure-prone. This is great for civilian use. It doesn't hamper legitimate uses while making illegitimate ones more difficult to execute and get away with.

    2. Re:Sigh by pi_rules · · Score: 4, Interesting

      It doesn't hamper legitimate uses while making illegitimate ones more difficult to execute and get away with.

      This is horrid for legitimate use. You no longer have a cheap detachable magazine, you've got to remove your whole barrel assembly to reload. That's not cost effective. You can't reaload it yourself, and you can't purchase amoo in bulk. When I take a 9mm out to the range for training I'll typically blow through 100 to 150 rounds. I'd need 10 to 15 barrel assemblies to do this. That's not good. Also, remember that whenever you change the tiniest thing about your firearm you will throw off the impact point. In the case of this firearm -every- round goes through a different barrel, meaning each shot will have a slightly different path.

      This alone doesn't promote responsible use. If you can't predict where your round will land you shouldn't be taking any shots. If you can't actually use the firearm for training it's entirely useless for a civilian.

  9. Video of shooting may help 2nd amendment rights? by davidj0228 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    a video record of what you're shooting at... hmmm maybe this will be the advance in technology that can bring the gun rights people and the gun control people together. i think accountability is the most important thing; if you are responsible you can have a gun if you want. now only if bullets had these minicams in them so that you can see who shot the bullet when the shooter cant be found

  10. Not so hot... by Voytek · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The problem with all of these type of technologic "advancements" in firearms is that they miss the whole point of a self-defense firearm. If one is to use a firearm for self-defense, it will be used at the last possible moment - a moment that does not allow for software glitches, hardware bugs, run-down batteries, etc...

    This 'technologizing' of firearms is only viable for certain military applications - useage scenarios far removed from those of civilian owners; yet there are enough dumbass lobbyists and politicians who don't understand that one can NOT ask an attacker to 'wait while I reboot my gun'.

    1. Re:Not so hot... by Voytek · · Score: 5, Insightful

      OK, you trust your life to this piece of shit and I'll trust mine to a Glock or Sig or HK - any of which can go 10,000 - 30,000 rounds without a jam or misfire...

  11. Re:Newfangled boomsticks... by fenix+down · · Score: 3, Funny

    No thank ya! I like to get away with my violent crimes.

  12. I learn somthing new every day. by Chris_Stankowitz · · Score: 3, Insightful
    From the article:

    For a street-legal weapon that complies with civilian laws, it would have a 10-round magazine and fire single shots only, requiring the trigger to be pressed each time.

    So....A "street-legal" gun is one that can only shoot 10 people in about 15 seconds or less? What street would this be? Then again this is being developed in south africa. I guess even warlords have to keep their goons under a tight leash.

    1. Re:I learn somthing new every day. by Voytek · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Hopefully much less than 15 seconds to shoot ten rounds. But what are you after? A slashdot-like time delay between shots?

      You do understand that guns are still legal in the US, right? Despite the misguided efforts of those who can't read...

  13. good idea... by pummer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ... but, this would in essence be pointless. There are guns over 100 years old that still work today, and there are millions of guns without this implemented floating around. What kind of stupid-ass criminal would buy one of these when he could steal a gun without this?

  14. Great... by craenor · · Score: 3, Funny

    Now the Chic Geek will be looking to outfit his Segway with a turret.

    Then you can add blue tooth so you can fire it remotely...just make sure it doesn't get hacked.

  15. Is the gun powered by Windows? by Travoltus · · Score: 4, Funny

    I can see it now.
    "This gun has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down..."

    --
    --- Grow a pair, liberals... stop letting the Republicans bully you!
  16. The Fifth Element by rice_burners_suck · · Score: 5, Funny

    But I bet the idiots who bought 4 large crates of these guns didn't bother to ask about the little red button on the side.

  17. What is the logic behind the safeguards? by MyNameIsFred · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I don't understand some of the logic behind some of the guns features, for example, the built-in camera. If I'm going to do something illegal, I can put a piece of tape over the lens. And if its recording data on all shots, and taking pictures, how much memory does it have? If I go to the shooting range, and I go thru a couple of boxes of ammo, will I run out of memory? If I run out of memory, does the gun lock up? Regarding the the biometric data locked into the gun. Knowing how fast most other things are cracked, how long till mod chips are available? Somehow this doesn't seem to be the answer to gun crime.

    1. Re:What is the logic behind the safeguards? by Jeremi · · Score: 4, Interesting
      If I'm going to do something illegal, I can put a piece of tape over the lens.


      If you want to do something illegal, you probably won't use this type of gun in the first place, you'll use the regular old kind. But imagine that you are a cop accused of shooting someone irresponsibly. Having picture evidence of exactly what they were doing when you shot them could be quite useful to you.


      If I run out of memory, does the gun lock up?


      Why would it lock up? Obviously it wouldn't be able to store any more data without first deleting something else, but it would be up to the manufacturer to decide what it should do. My guess is that they would delete the oldest photo to make room for the new one.


      These guns aren't designed to be criminal-proof, they are designed to be accident-proof, theft-proof, and self-documenting. As the article says, they are designed to be used by government officials and the military, not necessarily by Joe Civilian.

      --


      I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.
  18. Fantastic! by Eric_Cartman_South_P · · Score: 5, Funny
    I can't wait to see all the gun camera images of Cops blasting away Citizens mid-crackpipe-hit showing up on www.thesmokinggun.com

  19. Re:Does anyone forsee ammunition restrictions? by Voytek · · Score: 4, Funny

    You've never heard of reloading, have you?

  20. Re:Clint Eastwood's next famous line by Waffle+Iron · · Score: 5, Funny
    "Smile, I'm about to take your picture punk!"

    Actually, I think the next movie could be kind of short:

    Dirty Harry:I know what you're thinking punk. You're thinkin did he fire six shots or only five. Well to tell you the truth I forgot myself in all this excitement. But being this is the 44 magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off. You've got to ask yourself a question, Do I feel lucky? Well do you, PUNK!

    Punk: Umm... Umm...

    Smart Gun: WARNING! Chamber is empty! Load a new magazine to continue shooting! WARNING! Chamber is empty! Load a new magazine to continue shooting!

    Punk: Fuck you, cop! Tackles Dirty Harry and bashes his head in with a brick.

  21. I can see it now... by DredPirateRoberts · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Picture this:

    It's, oh, say... 50 years from now. You're a soldier, say a blue-helmet, supposed to be keeping the peace in some crappy country that's chock-full of gang lords and private armies. You're on patrol with your partner.

    Suddenly, a crack and your buddy is down, choking on his own blood. You take cover behind whatever is available, try to figure out where the fire is coming from.

    Another shot, and your Intelligent Rifle is hit, damaged beyond repair. Shit.

    Luckily, the rifle dropped by your buddy is close. You grab it, jam your thumb into the stock's biometric window. No response. Damn! Covered with dust again, frickin' dirt... Still cowering, hoping you're covered, you wipe the window and try again.

    "BZZZZZ... User's Smart Card does not match profile. Please ensure that you are using the proper weapon."

    You jab the control button to force the gun to authorize a new user, but it's too late. You just got killed by a rifle made in your great-grandfather's day.

    I think some militaries might have reservations about a few of the "features" on these guns. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

    --
    "All animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others." - George Orwell
  22. Re:Windows Hand-Gun Edition by Cid+Highwind · · Score: 5, Funny

    You forgot about the cute, animated barrel brush that will pop up and offer helpful suggestions like "It looks like you're trying to shoot an intruder! Would you like me to:
    - Research legalities of shooting burglars in your house, based on your current location?
    - Look up cleaning services that specialize in removing bloodstains from carpets?
    - Remind you that the safety is still on?"

    --
    0 1 - just my two bits
  23. when this thing locks up... by argStyopa · · Score: 3, Funny

    it gives a whole new meaning to "blue screen of death".

    --
    -Styopa