A New Handle on Smart Gun Tech

Feb. 3, 2005 — -- It's been the stuff of science fiction for ages: a high-tech gun that works only in the hands of "the good guys." And for a decade, various gun makers and researchers have been trying with mixed results to turn fantasy into reality.

But researchers at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark think they may have a good grasp -- literally -- on developing a firearm that will fire only in the hands of authorized users.

When the group started working on the project five years ago, they focused on a biometric-based system -- technology that identifies a person based on unique physical traits. But rather than focus on common characteristics such as fingerprints, Michael Recce, associate professor of information systems at NJIT, discovered a novel biometric: grip.

"When you hold a gun -- or a pen or a golf club or whatever -- you grip it in a unique, consistent way," says Recce. "It becomes ingrained in your mind -- the so-called 'muscle memory' effect -- and we've developed a way to measure that."

Embedded in the handle of NJIT's conceptual "personalized gun" are 32 sensors with the diameter of a pencil eraser. The circular devices contain a piezoelectric material -- crystals that produce electricity when they come under pressure -- sandwiched between two thin layers of copper.

When the gun is gripped, each sensor receives a tiny variation of pressure that creates a distinct electrical signal in the piezoelectric material. Each signal is sent to a microprocessor, which creates a digital map of the grip using software developed by Recce and his team.

Once a digital grip pattern is created, it can then be stored in a database. Every time the gun is gripped, the microprocessor and software can measure the grasp and compare it with patterns previously stored. What's more, it can perform this digital recognition feat in about one-tenth of a second -- roughly the time it takes for a shooter to pull the gun's trigger.

And Recce says since the system works so quickly and unobtrusively, the technology can be used for more than just controlling firearms. A grip recognition system embedded in vehicle controls, for example, might prevent terrorists' commandeering a jumbo jet in-flight or carjackers from stealing expensive automobiles.