A "smart gun," which operates on facial recognition technology, is now available in the United States for pre-orders.
The Colorado-based firm Biofire Technologies recently debuted its smart gun that comes with modern technologies we typically see on iPhone and Android mobile phones, such as fingerprint scanners and facial recognition.
First 'Smart Gun' Debuts in the US
According to CBS News Texas, Biofire Tech claims it has successfully developed the first-ever smart gun that rocks biometric features like facial recognition and fingerprint scanning.
Our smartphones nowadays feature cutting-edge security measures, preventing other people from accessing them. But this time, a US company included features like fingerprint scanning and facial recognition in a smart gun to verify users.
The CEO and founder of Biofire, Kai Kloepfer, says that "this is a new era in firearm safety." The big boss of the Colorado firm further stated that they were motivated by the idea of helping save the lives of people.
The Biofire founder also claims that "no one had tried" the approach they employed, wherein they "applied high-precision engineering principles" in hopes of targeting "preventable firearm deaths among children."
However, as per Straits Times, the demonstration of the new smart gun faced some problems along the way. The prototype presented to Reuters failed to fire twice. But despite that, it worked as it should - successfully firing after using facial recognition - in other instances.
The chief executive of Biofire blames the failure to fire during the media demonstration on the machine gun. He notes that it was apparently made from prototype and pre-production parts. However, he assures us that its software and electronics are ready since it has been fully tested.
Besides the biometric features, it also rocks other modern technology, such as IR sensors, which authorized users to use the gun as long as they keep their grip on the weapon. Like most wireless devices these days, it flaunts a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. And similar to phones during the 2000s era, the battery is removable.
The website of Biofire claims that their "Smart Gun" works like most firearms we see in the market. What sets it apart is its 3D facial recognition and fingerprint scanning feature.
Smart Gun with Facial Recognition Opens Pre-Order
Biofire has already opened the pre-sale of its "Smart Gun," allowing interested consumers to pre-order the facial recognition-enabled firearm right away.
The shipments for the first-ever smart gun handgun potentially begin sometime in the latter part of 2023 or the fourth quarter. It comes with a hefty price tag of $2,499.
On the other hand, the US-based firm notes that the standard version, which starts at $1499, might see the light of day in the second quarter of 2024.
Straits Times notes in its report that critics are concerned about smart guns, citing concerns that the verification features might not work right away.
