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| Advanced "UltraSmart" Gun Concepts
1) Front-Facing Camera and Laser Spot to ID Target and Aid Shooter Aim, Safety and Reliability.
2) Rear-Facing Camera and Iris Scan to ID Shooter and Assure He or She is Not Drunk nor on Drugs.
3) Sensors in Hand Grip to further Positively ID Shooter. NOTE: Not all sensors need to be on all guns, just enough (perhaps six) to assure Authorized Person will be Reliably Recognized and Unauthorized persons will be Rejected
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"UltraSmart" gun technology, so only Authorized Users may fire the gun.
The graphic illustrates some concepts for advanced "UltraSmart" guns that will be Reliable (allow Authorized Persons to Shoot) and Safe (not allow Unauthorized Persons to Shoot).
The gun will be manufactured with a sighting device on top, and sensors in the pistol grip, that are used to positively ID the Shooter and, if Authorized, allow him or her to fire the gun. The sighting device will also record images of the Target and assist the Shooter in Aiming and avoiding injury to bystanders.
Multi-factor ID is utilized for Reliability (Authorized Shooter will be recognized and allowed to shoot if he or she is not drunk or on drugs) and Safety (Unauthorized persons will not be allowed to fire the gun and, if in Aided Mode, gun will not fire if a bystander is in the way or close behind the Target such that the bullet might seriously injure him or her.
NOTE: Contrary to some reports, while the NRA does not think any current "smart" gun has acceptable reliability and performance, the NRA stated in a November 2015 editorial that:
"In truth, NRA has never opposed smart guns, believing the marketplace should decide their future. Rather, NRA opposes government mandates of expensive, unproven technology, and smart guns are a prime example of that."Thus, there is a possibility that if, at some time in the near future, a reliable and safe "UltraSmart" gun is developed and is proven to have good performance in fair, independent testing, the NRA will not oppose it on principle, so long as its acceptance or rejection is based on the free marketplace.
UNAIDED MODE OPERATION OF "ULTRASMART" GUN
1) Flip SAFETY off.
2) Hold muzzle away so Backward-Facing Camera and Hand Grip Sensors recognize you.
3) Aim and pull trigger to fire.
4) System makes a record of the shooting incident (images of Target, Shooter, Time, Location, etc.)
5) When done, flip SAFETY on.
AIDED MODES (DISABLE, DISARM, KILL)
1) Flip SAFETY off.
2) Hold muzzle away so Backward-Facing Camera and Hand Grip Sensors recognize you.
3) Aim and pull trigger part-way to turn Laser Spot on.
4) Use Laser Spot to refine Aim (optionally say "On Target" or words to that effect).
5) If you wish to DISABLE the Target, put Laser Spot on legs (optionally say "Disable him" or "Get his feet" or words to that effect)
---5A) Pull trigger all the way to enable firing.
---5B) Gun will fire immediately if Laser Spot is on Target's feet and away from Target's body core and if there are no bystanders in the way or behind the Target who may be inadvertently shot.
---5C) If gun does not fire immediately, hold trigger all the way down and re-position Laser Spot until gun fires.
---5D) To override DISABLE mode and fire immediately, release trigger and then pull it all the way (optionally say "fire now" or words to that effect)
6) If you wish to DISARM the Target, put Laser Spot on the weapon (gun, or knife or bat) he or she is carrying (optionally say "Disarm him" or "Get his gun" or "She's got a knife" or words to that effect)
---6A) Pull trigger all the way to enable firing.
---6B) Gun will fire immediately if Laser Spot is on the weapon (gun, or knife or bat) and away from Target's body core and if there are no bystanders in the way or behind the Target who may inadvertently be shot.
---6C) If gun does not fire immediately, hold trigger all the way down and re-position Laser Spot until gun fires.
---6D) To override DISARM mode and fire immediately, release trigger and then pull it all the way (optionally say "fire now" or words to that effect)
7) If you need to KILL the Target, put Laser Spot on his or her core (optionally say "Shoot to kill")
---7A) Pull trigger all the way to enable firing.
---7B) Gun will fire immediately if Laser Spot is on Target's body core and if there are no bystanders in the way or behind the Target who may be inadvertently shot.
---7C) If gun does not fire immediately, hold trigger all the way down and re-position Laser Spot until gun fires.
---7D) To override KILL mode and fire immediately, release trigger and then pull it all the way (optionally say "fire now" or words to that effect)
8) System makes a record of the shooting incident (images of Target, Shooter, Time, Location, etc.)
9) When done, flip SAFETY on.
DESCRIPTION OF CANDIDATE SENSORS FOR "ULTRASMART" GUN
1) Front-Facing Camera and Laser Spot
High-quality camera with low-light or infrared imaging capability for night operation.
The built-in Laser Spot is used for Aiming. It paints a red spot on the Target and is also used to determine the range to the Target and sense if a bystander or any object intrudes onto the Firing Line.
Image analysis software is capable of identifying the Target and locating his or her body core, arms, legs, and any weapon he or she may be brandishing. Bystanders are also identified.
Images are stored to document each shooting incident, starting with the moment the SAFETY is flipped off and several images associated with each trigger pull.
2) Backwards-Facing Camera and Iris Scan
High-quality camera with low-light or infrared imaging capability for night operation.
An Iris Scan capability is used to image the Shooter's iris pattern to positively identify him or her. This needs to be done only once, when the SAFETY is flipped off.
Image analysis software is capable of identifying the Shooter using facial geometry. It also examines the Shooter's eyes and facial expression to detect if he or she is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The Shooter's identifying information is recorded so that, if the Shooter is overpowered, the gun will not work for the bad guys. (Identifying information includes: hair color and style; hat color, shape, logo; skin tone, facial marks; eye color, shape; shirt color, style, logo; jacket color, style, logo, etc.)
Images are stored to document each shooting incident, starting with the moment the SAFETY is flipped off and several images associated with each trigger pull.
3) Sensors in Hand Grip
Microphone to perform voice-print ID and interpret spoken commands. Pad for fingerprint recognition. Sensors for hand geometry and palm vein pattern (perhaps infrared so it works through gloves). Google and others are working on needle-free blood sampling, where a tiny droplet is extracted using high pressure air pulse or vacuum. Blood alcohol (or drug) testing could determine if the Shooter is mentally competent. Blood type could add to positive ID and, in the future, when rapid DNA comes available, that would be absolutely positive ID.
Currently, some cards in your wallet or tags on your clothing may have RFID chips, and in the future, this trend is likely to increase. Cell phones, jewelry, wallets, and even items of clothing may include RFID chips. If these RFID devices are queried when the SAFETY is flipped off, this information will serve as further ID factors. The Shooter's identifying information is recorded so that, if the Shooter is overpowered, the gun will not work for the bad guys.
Ammunition for the "UltraSmart" gun will be specially marked such that each bullet will have a different ID number, When ammunition is purchased, the code sequence will be loaded into the on-board gun computer and the gun will not fire if the ammunition is not in the acceptable code sequence. This will be accomplished by including a sensor in the bullet chamber to read the code.
Sensor data are stored to document each shooting incident, including the bullet ID number, starting with the moment the SAFETY is flipped off and several data records associated with each trigger pull.
MULTI-FACTOR ANALYSIS FOR BOTH RELIABLE PERFORMANCE AND SAFETY
Reduction of False-Negative and False-Positive to Absolute Zero (Almost)
This is a well-known problem. If your computer or cell-phone uses fingerprint ID or facial geometry ID you have encountered the "false-negative" where you (an authorized person) are denied access.
For example, I had a fingerprint ID on my laptop computer some years ago that required multiple finger swipes and did not work much of the time, to the point I abandoned it in favor of the pass-code.
The camera on my current cell-phone does not recognize me when I'm wearing glasses, or if there is poor lighting, etc. However, it is good enough that I take my glasses off and use it regularly instead of the pass-code.
The reason these sensors are so picky is that, if acceptance parameters were relaxed, impostors could gain access. That is called a "false-positive" where an impostor (an UN-authorized person) is wrongly given access.
There is a natural tension between "false-negative" and "false-positive" and designers adjust accept/reject parameters such that performance is "good enough".
Well, in my opinion, "good-enough" is NOT GOOD ENOUGH for something as necessary when needed for self-defense and as potentially dangerous as a gun.
The solution to this problem is multi-factor ID, where a half-dozen or so different sensor ID modalities are combined. With multiple factors, the accept/reject criteria for each can be set quite high, knowing that at least three (for example) must exceed the accept criteria for the Shooter to be allowed access. With half a dozen difference sensor types, it is highly unlikely that more than one or two would not work due to environmental conditions (sweat, dirt, etc.) or due to hardware failure. Thus, false-negatives for the combined sensor suite will be absolutely zero (almost) and the gun will work reliably for an Authorized User.
On the other side of the equation, if three (for example) sensors (out of six) say the person holding the gun is NOT Authorized, that is a good reason to deny access. The argument here is that, perhaps one or two sensors may not be working correctly due to environmental issues or hardware failure, but if self-test indicates the sensors are working, and computer analysis says there is no match, it is highly unlikely that an Authorized person is holding the gun.
Reduction of False-Negative and False-Positive to Absolute Zero (Almost)
This is a well-known problem. If your computer or cell-phone uses fingerprint ID or facial geometry ID you have encountered the "false-negative" where you (an authorized person) are denied access.
For example, I had a fingerprint ID on my laptop computer some years ago that required multiple finger swipes and did not work much of the time, to the point I abandoned it in favor of the pass-code.
The camera on my current cell-phone does not recognize me when I'm wearing glasses, or if there is poor lighting, etc. However, it is good enough that I take my glasses off and use it regularly instead of the pass-code.
The reason these sensors are so picky is that, if acceptance parameters were relaxed, impostors could gain access. That is called a "false-positive" where an impostor (an UN-authorized person) is wrongly given access.
There is a natural tension between "false-negative" and "false-positive" and designers adjust accept/reject parameters such that performance is "good enough".
Well, in my opinion, "good-enough" is NOT GOOD ENOUGH for something as necessary when needed for self-defense and as potentially dangerous as a gun.
The solution to this problem is multi-factor ID, where a half-dozen or so different sensor ID modalities are combined. With multiple factors, the accept/reject criteria for each can be set quite high, knowing that at least three (for example) must exceed the accept criteria for the Shooter to be allowed access. With half a dozen difference sensor types, it is highly unlikely that more than one or two would not work due to environmental conditions (sweat, dirt, etc.) or due to hardware failure. Thus, false-negatives for the combined sensor suite will be absolutely zero (almost) and the gun will work reliably for an Authorized User.
On the other side of the equation, if three (for example) sensors (out of six) say the person holding the gun is NOT Authorized, that is a good reason to deny access. The argument here is that, perhaps one or two sensors may not be working correctly due to environmental issues or hardware failure, but if self-test indicates the sensors are working, and computer analysis says there is no match, it is highly unlikely that an Authorized person is holding the gun.
Ira Glickstein
Part 2 - New Technology. Might "UltraSmart" gun technology, that allows only Authorized Users to fire the gun, help address part of the problem?
Part 3 - Absolute Liability. Within the context of the Constitutional Second Amendment "right to bear arms", could gun owners, over time, voluntarily adopt "UltraSmart" guns, to mitigate the financial liability risks of owning conventional guns?
Part 4 - Aggressive Police Tactics. "Stop, Question (and Optionally Frisk)" has a disproportionate effect on Blacks, but it has been shown to save proportionately more Black than White lives.
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