Sixty people crowded into a small room at the Bayonne police firing range to witness smart gun technology. Donald H. Sebastian, PhD, senior vice president of research and development at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), stood near an oversized screen displaying a real-time video of an NJIT policeman shooting an experimental handgun in an adjacent indoor range. Although there was no applause as shots rang out, the action demonstrated that smart gun knew friend from foe.

Sixteen electronic computerized sensors embedded in the gun’s grip distinguished known from unknown users. “We’ve only just begun and we’re pleased to say that we’re getting 90 percent reliability when scanning users,” said Sebastian.

A gun that knows its owner's grip. I'm Bob Hirshon and this is Science Update.

New Jersey law requires future handguns to be "smart" guns that fire only in the hands of their owners. Don Sebastian of the New Jersey Institute of Technology is leading the research.

A smart gun is a handgun, rifle or shotgun that recognizes its owner (or other authorized users) via biometric access control — and will not fire for unauthorized users

Biometric Access Control:

• For existing handguns as a retrofit kit, creating the first marketable "Smartgun"
• For new weapons under license to the major gun manufacturers
• For other products

It is anticipated that the initial capitalization of € 15.0 million , adding at least 25 percent in outright subsidies, will lead us to a sales level of some two million handgun retrofits (of the 210 million world handgun market) within four years for an estimated $300 million in gross revenues, and a net profit of $60 million annually for the Foundation, with a similar revenue stream from the profit side of Biomac for their enrollment operation as well other applications of the technology to access control new weapon sales. 

The most lucrative end of Biomac’s revenue stream in weapon access control will come should they dominate the market in smart gun technology, thereby reaping their greatest profits from reprogramming of existing biometric weapons, and/or warrantee maintenance.