Biometric smart weapon

After decades of failed attempts by other manufacturers to bring reliable smart guns to market, Colorado startup Biofire said it will ship its first batch of 9mm pistols equipped with fingerprint and facial recognition technology by the end of the month.

So far, Biofire's approach has been viewed with a mixture of cautious optimism, curiosity and mistrust. But the most important question won't be fully answered until the guns are in people's hands: Do they really work?

Kai Kloepfer, the company's CEO and founder, says its $1,499 pistol is reliable and thoroughly tested. More than twice the price of a regular pistol, it's not just a standard firearm with biomechanical sensors attached. When an authorized user pulls the trigger, it sends an electrical signal to fire a bullet rather than relying on a physical firing mechanism—the first weapon ever designed to fire in this manner.

Kloepfer began trying to develop a smart gun as a high school student shocked by the 2012 theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado. He dropped out of MIT to focus on product and eventually raised more than $37 million in venture capital and private equity.

Biofire says its first batch of smart guns will be shipped to investors, friends and others in the company's inner circle this month. Biofire's first paying customers, numbering in the "thousands," the company said, declining to go into detail, will receive their orders in the coming months. About a third of them are first-time gun buyers, according to Biofire.

The biometric technology won't work if users' faces and hands are completely covered, but Biofire says that shouldn't be a problem since it's designed for use at home. On the company's website, the gun is kept on a bookshelf behind a family watching TV and above the kitchen table with children nearby.

date: 2024/03/22

Author: GEximius