The smart holster uses fingerprint ID, RFID and voice identification to keep out everyone but the legal owner (and up to 200 other users), Cohen and Raj Kumar said. A small fingerprint reader is embedded into the wall of the holster. The beauty of their design is that you “don’t have to change your gun at all. It’s just a holster similar to the one you have except this is maneuvered so that it’s almost inherent that you put your finger [on the fingerprint reader] when you pull it out,” Cohen said.
Source: Team from NYU Tandon wins $1M prize in Brooklyn BP’s Smart Gun Competition | Brooklyn Daily Eagle
I am going to leave the reality (or lack thereof) of the electronic security measures to people who know about it. But there is a couple of things that bother me some.
Number one:
Solid things near trigger make me nervous. In fact anything inside the trigger guard that is not the trigger by its lonesome has the potential for a negligent discharge. I seem to recall a similar mechanical device in the TSA-Approved holsters for pilots that was responsible for some negligent discharges in the cockpit.
Second: Where are the frigging belt loops/attachments? It is supposed to be a Smart Holster as in “going to be carried attached to a belt.” Because without a way to actually keep the gun firmly and safely on the person, the only thing you managed to create is a minimalist and expensive Hornady RAPiD safe box.
Oh well.
It’s too big and boxy to be a holster, and the fact that it the two halves are obviously held together by screws means it would be a lousy anti-theft device.
https://youtu.be/mJXYMDu6dpY
The fact that this “invention” was sponsored by a disarmed victim jurisdiction tells you everything you need to know about its lack of merit.
And we should mention how concealable it would be. As in not very.
Yeah, the big hunk of plastic placed EXACTLY where it would exert the most force on the trigger is a bad sign. Why not use friction on the slide? That doesn’t risk discharge, it’s already designed not to move forward any further, and it’s a hefty piece of metal.
I’m willing to forgive the lack of belt-loops and general clunky box design, as I assume this is mostly a proof of concept prototype… But the fundamental design flaw of putting shit inside the trigger guard cannot be overlooked: That shit will get someone shot.
Then it should be terrible. Check out my blog: 4 gun safety rules: https://tenbesttipz.com/gun-safety-rules/