Making Guns Smart By Using Electronics

18 year old Kai Kloepfer has a dream:

Kai is using the $50,000 grant he received from the Smart Tech Challenges Foundation to integrate a biometric fingerprint sensor onto a live firearm. This gun would prevent unauthorized users from firing the weapon, reducing accidental injury and death, and keeping homes across America safer.

1:11 – That’s nice they actually included the gun store owner saying he wasn’t too fond of the concept.  You don’t often see both viewpoints being shown.

4:08 – Military applications?  Huh why?  I like that this kid is asking questions anyway… that’s how you learn.

3…..2…….1…… ah there it is –> 5:51 – “At this point even one.  Because I don’t want to have anyone to have to go to places like this to remember loved ones.”

Kai-Kloepfer-Smart-GunsI really like Kai’s optimism, but I don’t see this particular fingerprint technology being a viable solution.   I think someday there might be a solution we can all be happy with, and I think it’s great people are working on it.  The market will decide which solution is the right one.   Oh actually… maybe the government will just decide for us, whenever they feel like it.  That seems to be how it works sometime.

Thoughts?  If nothing else, Kai can now tell girls “Google me” when they ask what’s he’s about.  That’s the ultimate flex when you’re not even finished high school yet.


Comments

36 responses to “Making Guns Smart By Using Electronics”

  1. Smooth Operator Avatar
    Smooth Operator

    Not now, not ever. How many times has your phone, microwave, TV, computer, xbox, etc. decided to say “fuck you” and randomly stop working at the worst possible time?
    Thats not what my defense tool needs.

    Take the $50k and donate it to an organization dedicated to educating gun owners on firearms safety.

    1. Enterprising criminals can hack an ATM to shit free money, but this thing designed by a high school student is infallible.

  2. I have to agree with the operator …computers do fuck up when you need them most….speaking of computers that kid has a smoking gamers rig 3:33

    1. Government grant money goes a long way when you’re a high school student.

  3. BlazingZer0 Avatar
    BlazingZer0

    Metal Gear Solid 4 taught me that this was a bad idea.

    1. “BANG”

    2. haha no kidding. Not only with the “ID gun” thing, but also nanomachines, which would inevitably be used to control people (which is fittingly named SOP). Dont worry, there’s plenty of overly optimistic and naive technophiles that think such things are a great idea and everybody should jump onboard with their nonsense. Never underestimate the resourcefulness and intelligence of bad guys, whether they are nation-state adversaries or criminals. Where there is a will, there is a way. The reason why smart gun technology will never take off is because of the possibility of your adversary hijacking your keys, figuratively speaking.

  4. Lame! Always with the damn smart guns.

  5. It’s an interesting concept that if done right COULD sell and probably sell well; however using the “mass shooting” angle and pushing the shooting news clips into the video is dumb and won’t work. Oh there’s smart guns that will prevent someone from shooting up a school? Okay so instead of using the smart gun maybe they’ll just pick from the one of 38247824023840832434 other guns available.

  6. Ryo-Ohki Avatar

    Those biometrics use to be all the rage on laptops five years ago but are out of vogue because people were locking themselves out. I think anyone can complete the rest of this sentence…

  7. Squirreltakular Avatar
    Squirreltakular

    Alright, let’s workshop this for a second. Imagine this works. Imagine it takes off. Imagine sweeping federal and state laws are passed so that every single gun in America is equipped with this technology. Got it?

    How many days or weeks (or hours, IMHO) would go by before we have CyanogenMod for this thing? It’s frikkin 2015, people. If you can hack a computer, you can hack a computer that’s stuffed into a gun.

    Useless.

  8. When they can make a biometric safe that works everytime, then maybe we can talk about this. As it is, a lot of these cheap biometric safes don’t even work 50% of the time. Everytime I set one up for a family member, I make sure to set it for both my thumbs and a finger, because I inevitably get a call that it doesn’t work and they can’t access a gun.

    Combine all that with the fact that everyone holds their guns with slightly different grips, (also fact that a reader doesn’t know the difference between you fingertip and your palm) and you are set for failure.

  9. I like that he acknowledges that this technology wouldn’t prevent malicious use of guns, only accidents. However fingerprint scanning technology is probably the worst route to go, considering all of the variables the scanner would have to overcome. You would need a system that is more reliable than the most reliable guns before any sane gun owner would buy it.

  10. raisedby_dogs Avatar
    raisedby_dogs

    I’m just excited that he is actually busting his ass trying to do something as opposed to reposting rhetoric shit on FB and IG. American innovation is becoming a lost skill and it’s always good to see a kid who is still in High School give a fuck about something other than getting drunk or high.

    1. HouHef45 Avatar

      +1

    2. KestrelBike Avatar
      KestrelBike

      Anytime someone is engineering something with an end result that will only further erode my rights, I call him/her a little bitch. Fuck this kid.

  11. Electronics in my firearms will forever mean one thing: someone else is in control of my firearm.

  12. Bruh Bruh Avatar
    Bruh Bruh

    Know what would be even better then biometrics? Proper handling and storage of guns. Or what if the computer malfunctions and allowed unauthorized access? They wouldnt be so ‘smart’ then huh?

    Why oh why does this have to be from Colorado? First we lose Magpul, now thus jank is being engineered here? I couldnt stand to watch the whole video, its ludacris! Same with cars – the smarter we make things the more stupid we become. The problem isnt the gun, its usually operator error or just a bad guy with a gun. Seems the best resolution to that is a good guy with a gun!

  13. I actually spent several months attempting to develop this, and my team and I did. First an AR, then a 1911. Turns out – every major firearms retailer has already filed patents on their own ‘smart gun’ systems. They’ll never release a product though, because that would hurt sales. There are already several states that have laws on the books that state once ‘smart gun’ technology becomes available those are the only firearms that will be allowed to be sold in those states. I gave up after talking to the lawyers.

  14. endo kendo crescendos Avatar
    endo kendo crescendos

    Gun hackers: using your hacked apple epay password to disarm you.

    Government hackers: over clocking your guns hardware to overheat the battery and melt your glock.

    Criminals : don’t use it.

  15. endo kendo crescendos Avatar
    endo kendo crescendos

    BTW raised by dogs he gives a fuck about disarming you because guns are too manly and bitches like sensitive leaves.

  16. Socialkaos Avatar
    Socialkaos

    Well then, with this same mind set every car company should be putting an ignition interlock system in every car manufactured from the factory as standard equipment . You know cause drunk drivers kill as many if not more than firearms do. So everybody that owns a car needs to prove they’re not drunk before they can start they’re car.

  17. It doesn’t really matter if the electronics are 100% reliable. If I can’t use a defensive weapon when my hands are dirty/bloody/in gloves then it’s inferior to current tech. Anti-gunners imagine people should be allowed to use a gun at a tony range or some other pristine setting. When you actually NEED to use a firearm is usually at the dirty messy end to a really fucked up chain of events; if it doesn’t function well in Fuckeduptown it doesn’t belong on a gun.

  18. HMPlatinum Avatar
    HMPlatinum

    Someone let me know when they develop a “smart” bottle of booze that keeps you from being too drunk.
    Or, a “smart” cigarette case that keeps you from smoking too much.
    A “smart” fork so you don’t eat too much FLOTUS apparently doesn’t have one. Very apparently. She just screws with kid’s lunches. (aside: WEAR SOME F’N SLEEVES, Mooch)
    A “smart” car that checks your BAC, your fingerprints, and a retinal scan – just to be sure.
    How about a “smart” microphone that screams feedback at whoever is lying through it and maybe we can cull out 95% of the leeches in the .gov.
    Nah. Screw all that stuff that kills more people every MONTH than handgun accidents do in a year.
    Good on ‘ya, kid, for using your brain. It’s just a shame your wasting it on something useless.

    1. HMPlatinum Avatar
      HMPlatinum

      Granted, a mic doesn’t kill. But congress-critters are indirectly responsible for plenty of death and destruction.

  19. Gloves. Sweat. Blood.

    Now the cop can’t even fire his own gun to stop the bad guy, technology invalidated.

    I know for me my hands sweat so badly that when I recently had fingerprints taken using some fancy electronic scanner, I had to dry my finger tips then quickly apply them to the scanner plate or it would just register as a black blob, if this technology ever became a thing, I’d never be able to use a gun.

  20. Well-intentioned, but flawed idea at its core.

  21. HouHef45 Avatar

    Kai Kloepfer. What a kick ass name tho. That’s all.

    oh yeah,
    rabble rabble, Technology,
    rabble rabble, Failures,
    rabble rabble, Gloves and Blood
    rabble rabble, Skynet
    rabble rabble, I’ll just keep my 1911.

  22. Force us to use biometric guns and create a new or more profitable black market for hacked or dumb guns. Great idea.

  23. Government grant parasite, more like a smartass gun. Should move into entertainment and leave the serious things like guns to people who actually know what the eff they are doing.

    Fingerprint readers aren’t reliable. Fingerprint readers aren’t reliable.

  24. The current cheap-enough-but-fancy biometric gold standard solution is Touch ID in the iPhone 5s, 6, and 6 Plus.

    If your finger is wet or the sensor glass is wet, it doesn’t work. If your finger is misaligned, it won’t work. Plus it takes a moment or two to authenticate.

    I mention this because the price point of the sensor would fit the firearms world’s price point. The phone is like $700 MSRP and that’s roughly the price of a higher-end-ish pistol.

    Serious R&D is needed still, and the tech should never be mandatory.

  25. Mr. Kloepfer may, with all do respect, go fuck himself. The same goes for anyone else who wants to innovate in smart guns, self-driving cars, ect. Leave my shit alone.

    1. The issue is, if he doesn’t, someone else will.

      I’d rather it get developed, but by gun-friendly people. If I had the technical knowledge, I’d develop a smart gun and open-source the hell out of it.

  26. smart guns do nothing though if you are negligent and violate the 4 rules of gun safety. Theyre feel good measures.

  27. BRAACKRIVESMATTUR! Avatar
    BRAACKRIVESMATTUR!

    YOU”RE ALL LOOKING AT IT THE WRONG WAY DAMNIT!! Free people don’t need this, but the watchers of free people do! Every cop and boot on American soil should be required to have this, and also get it networked so that there is a chain of custody when deadly force is authorized. So many black lives could be saved with something like this!

  28. Disco Avatar

    If the “Not so smart gun owner” was black, I’d pay more attention.

    Because it’s not like black people hunt, recreation shoot, practice legal self defense or anything.

    Just fat dumb white guys