TrackingPoint Unveils A Smart Rifle That Can Track Targets

A small start-up called TrackingPoint revealed their first in a range of ‘smart rifles’. What makes this rifle different is that unlike ordinary sniper rifles, which required a great deal of training and expertise before they can be used to kill at long range, the smart rifle can be picked up by a complete novice and be used just as effectively. It’s so simple that even a 12 year old could use it.

The scopes on the rifle contain small Linux-based computers that do all the calculations and ‘thinking’. All the complex calculations which are required to hit a target 1,000 yards away are done by that small computer. Shooters simply have to aim the rifle at the target and ‘tag’ it using a button in front of the trigger guard. After tagging the target, the shooters simply lineup their shot with the on-screen reticle which turns red when a probable hit is detected. Once the target turns red, the shooter simply pulls the trigger.

The smart rifle will allow inexperienced shooters to hit their target with a 70 percent success rate on the first shot with a target distance of 1000 yards. Trained army snipers have a hit rate of 30 percent on their first shot using traditional sniper rifles. This amazing increment in performance is what persuaded the US Army to order six of these rifles at $27,000 each.

The Linux-based computers in the rifles can be connected through a network and be triggered remotely by a single shooter. This makes the smart rifle a truly lethal weapon.

sorce : http://wonderfulengineering.com