Someone who's willing to spend $1,800 can get Smart System iP1, a "smart gun." The price tag will give the buyer a .22 caliber pistol in the form of the Armatix iP1 ($1,399) and a wristwatch for $399. You heard that right, those who want to get the gun has no choice but to get the watch or the former will not fire.
The Smart System iP1, made by German firm Armatix, remains locked until it receives a signal from the iW1 watch. The tandem makes use of radio frequency identification technology (RFID) that will let the gun know that it should be unlocked. The user needs to enter a PIN code to enable the gun. A light on the gun's handle also turns green when the watch is close enough to the gun to indicate that one can press the trigger.
A report on The Washington Post has disclosed that the smart gun is only being sold at the shop of the Oak Tree Gun Club in Los Angeles, California, so far. The RFID technology on the gun is a welcome development for safety advocates.
While everyone hopes for decreased number of suicide cases, accidental firing, and gun violence that have been traumatizing the country in recent years, there are possible flaws in such setup.
First is that using smart guns will not actually stop anyone from firing it. Whether it be the good guy or the criminal, the iP1 will never know. The handgun will fire as long as the smartwatch is at least 10 inches from it. It may not fire if someone steals it without the watch but why will a criminal get a gun that does not fire. Those with ill intentions will buy guns that will not cause them problems.
Another problem will be the owner trying to protect his family from an intruder but then he forgets that the batteries of the watch will only last for about a year if it has just been on standby all the while. Without juice, the gun will not unlock. Bang! The criminal kills the father or worse, the whole family. A similar scenario will be dealing with normal emergency response of an average person who might just want a gun to be loaded and ready to fire when a threat is nearby. Misplaced watches can be a problem. Big problem. These are extreme scenarios, of course.
Safety modifications and technologies have been introduced to guns for decades, now in various forms. The technology world calls for an iPhone of guns but the real determining factor if guns will be safe is the mental condition of the person whose finger is on the trigger.
The issue about smart guns can be pretty complicated compared to issues about the smart bra or the smart contact lens or the smart diaper.
