www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-12/njio-sfa121604.php
New Jersey Institute of Technology Shots fired at Bayonne range prove smart gun technology works Sixty people crowded last week into a small room at the Bayonne police fi ring range to witness smart gun technology. Donald H Sebastian, senior vice president of research and development at New Jersey Institute of Te chnology (NJIT), stood near an oversized screen displaying a real-time v ideo of an NJIT policeman shooting an experimental handgun in an adjacen t indoor range. Although there was no applause as shots rang out, the ac tion demonstrated that smart gun knew friend from foe. Sixteen electronic computerized sensors embedded in the gun's grip distin guished known from unknown users. "We've only just begun and we're pleas ed to say that we're getting 90 percent reliability when scanning users, " said Sebastian. Since 1999, Sebastian has led the project based upon Dynamic Grip Recogni tion, a technology invented by Michael Recce, PhD, associate professor o f information systems at NJIT. Since June of 2004, five members of the N JIT police force have been trained to use the test gun and be recognized . Ultimately computerized sensors in each gun will record data on dozens of known users while also blocking unauthorized users. In addition to proudly witnessing the technology, the p air announced last week that, once again, they had secured $1 million in federal funding for the project. The funding was included in this year's US Department of Justice b udget. Robert Menendez and William Pascrell, who have also support ed the research and sought federal appropriations, also spoke, as did NJ IT President Robert A Altenkirch and Bayonne Mayor and State Senator Jo seph Doria, an early New Jersey legislative supporter. Lautenberg said New Jersey's legislative effort to introd uce smart gun technology should be a national model for the country. Onc e Congress returns to session next year, Lautenberg and Pascrell plan to introduce legislation modeled after New Jersey's law, so families acros s the country will be able to ensure that guns they own will not fall in to the wrong hands. The demonstration included a description of how the technology works. "Ev eryone has body features that are unique signatures," said Sebastian. "F ingerprints and retinas number among the best known markers. Identifying a person by such attributes is called the science of biometrics." Another form of biometric--the dynamic biometric--depends on both physica l markers and behavior. This biometric is the foundation of Dynamic Grip R ecognition. The technology measures not only the size, strength and stru cture of a person's hand, but also the reflexive way in which the person acts. For smart gun, the observed actions are how the person squeezes s omething to produce a unique and measurable pattern. Embedded sensors in the experimental gun then can read and record the size and force of the users' hand during the first second when the trigger is squeezed. "This technology is similar to how electronic machines read an individual 's signature upon completing a credit card transaction," said Sebastian. The next step is for NJIT researchers to turn over their invention to the Australian-based research and development company Metal Storm Ltd.. Metal Storm will then incorpo rate the NJIT technology into their patented electronic handgun, as NJIT researchers continue testing. "NJIT is doing pioneering research to make a firearm that can save thousa nds of innocent lives," said Lautenberg during the demonstration. "On an y given day people across the country can turn on their TV news or read in their local paper the sad story of a child taking another child's lif e because they got their hands on a loaded gun. However, we know now tha t these deaths can be prevented or at least reduced through technology t hat will render a gun inoperable in the hands of the wrong user." Corzine called the NJIT's dynamic-grip technology cutting edge and said t hat it represented a really positive step forward in public safety. "NJI T is involved in important life-saving research," he added. "There is no question that manufacturing handguns with advanced technology to limit operation can save lives. Menendez said that by making handguns operable only by authorized users, many gun deaths can be avoided. Pascrell said he looked forward to intro ducing legislation in the 108th Congress similar to the legislation in N ew Jersey. Since 1999, NJIT has spearheaded efforts to develop a personalized handgu n that can instantly and reliably recognize one or more pre-programmed a uthorized users. In 2003, Recce received a patent for Dynamic Grip Recognition. The invent ion enabled NJIT electrical engineering professor Timothy Chang, assiste d by a team of engineers, to embed multiple small electronic sensors in the grip. The finished gun will eventuall y feature both electronic features and computerized parts. Recce sees hi s invention someday also being used in other applications--perhaps the y oke of a plane or a car's steering wheel. Also in 2003, NJIT signed an agreement with Metal Storm, which owns a pat ent for its Electronic Firing System that can be used in a handgun. Meta l Storm's O'DwyerTM VLe system is a unique, patented approach to firing projectiles. Entirely electronic, the system utilizes preloaded barrels holding multiple projectiles that are fired by electronic ignition. For the first time, interchangeable and multiple barrels can be made availa ble to fire a range of projectiles of varying calibers from the same han dgun.
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