Internationale Partnersuche

Innovation & Technologie Angebot

Real-time monitoring for the discharge of firearms

Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Reference Number: TOUK20181005001
Publication Date: 22 November 2018

Summary

A UK company is offering a device to accurately monitor the discharge of a firearm of any calibre that is more accurate than existing methods. The discharge information could be both recorded and provided as real time feedback alongside a variety of metrics. This dual-use product could be used by military or civilian companies using firearms, and the company is seeking such partners to adopt or adapt the technology via licensing or commercial agreement with technical assistance.

Description

Current methods of monitoring the discharge of firearms are unreliable as they use accelerometers: devices are susceptible to inaccurate results, as a knock is similar to a discharge. Current devices also need to be calibrated for rounds. 



A new UK start-up design and engineering company has developed a new device that provides an inductive loop feedback from the barrel rather than the accelerometer which uses movement.  The intent is to develop a product that will make all firearms safer and more accountable with real time information that can be used in a variety of ways. For example, to better train police officers and individuals, to provide data evidence in criminal investigations, and to help prevent firearm accidents.



The device records detailed metadata which can be used to make a forensic blueprint of the firearm.  The unit can be used as artificial intelligence offering cost reductions in mock ups, maintenance, and audit reductions alongside with the correct GIS/GPS algorithms giving a valuable live feed which would allow external support for armed officers. 



The product would not only target, military, police, security service industry, but opportunity could be found in the civilian market as a tool for competitive shooting programs (produce movement diagrams), maintenance (barrel life) and gun room stock checks (it would be possible to pair with radio frequency identification). 



The company has created an innovative patent pending invention which is fully functional and can be previewed on the working prototype.



The second-generation prototype is a single board containing four expansion ports that have USB, universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter (UART), serial peripheral interface (SPI), inter-integrated circuit (I2C), buses.   



This is a prototype development and can be reduced in size by using higher density components, e.g. the current chip low profile quad flat pack (LQFP) is 10mm2 the production chip a ball grid array (BGA) size is 3.6mm2 (also has more input/output pins), it would also be possible to remove unused ports.  



Final product specifications could include a supporting GPS/GIS system to become a full-scale marketable product or housing to be used as a public product for logging firearm locational discharge information.



They are seeking organisations that use weapons (but not a manufacturer) such as Interpol, NATO, police forces, security firms or communications companies using geospatial information, locational big data, and so on to licence the technology or to adapt the technology to their existing devices via commercial agreement with technical assistance.

Advantages and Innovations

The device provides the following benefits: 



· Can detect and produce ballistic signatures unique to the round fired (eg able to detect a live round from blanks).



· Real-time feedback and gesture recognition of the firearm.



· Can be used with live rounds, as opposed to current training that requires the user to practice without rounds. The new design is cable of recording all rifle movements before and after the round has left the barrel, that data can be displayed as graphs in real time or play back.  This data could be used for coaching or mentoring after an event and track movement.

Stage Of Development

Available for demonstration

Stage Of Development Comment

Singleboard prototype has been built and tests performed.  This proves patent concept and has expansion ports for integration with other devices.



The final peripherals to be used (eg bluetooth to communicate with an external device) and final size has not yet been determined.

Requested partner

Type: Industry (Military or civilian) or organisations; or working in communications technologies.



Typical Activity of Partner sought: Policing, military or security that uses (but does not manufacture) firearms; or big data monitoring



Specific role of partner sought: Adoption of the device for use with firearms, via licensing agreement or commercial agreement with technical assistance, or to incorporate with technology related to geo-spatial tracking or geographical information systems