BEHOLD THE FUTURE OF GUN CONTROL! THE ARMATRIX iP1 SMART GUN!
(Insert celestial chorus of angels singing the praises of modern technology)
I really do not know where to begin with this thing. Wait, I do know: TEUTONIC FAIL!
The specs are as follows:
- .22 LR calibre, 10 round magazine
- electronic magazine disconnect
- different operating modes
- an operating distance of up to 15 inches
- integrated grip and drop safety
- color-coded operating mode, patented mechatronic
interface for additional applications (e.g. camera) - tested and approved by ATF
A ten plus one gun in .22LR will make it the favorite of Police departments everywhere and I am sure that even the Navy Seals already have them in use somewhere in the world….[snicker] OK guys, seriously, even with a Government mandate, this thing is not gonna sell as a defensive weapon which is your market.
The idea of a two-part smart/safe gun is not new. I remember reading about one gun for police work in an issue of Popular Mechanics back in the 70s and it consisted of a ring with a magnet that disconnected some lever inside the gun and made it ready to use. The iP1 system is via RFID activated by a watch
Smart System consists of an active RFID watch that is responsible for gun access and use. Microchips in the watch and in the gun communicate with each other. A smart system will only shoot if it is within the range of this watch. It is possible to release the safety mechanism via the active RFID watch activated by means of a PIN code. As soon as the gun loses radio contact with the watch – e.g. i fit is knocked out of the shooter’s hand or in case of loss, theft etc. – it automatically deactivates itself.
Hmmm, what could go wrong? So it deactivates itself once the distance between the gun and the watch surpasses 15 inches? So that means I either wear the damn watch on the wrist of my strong hand or forego strong-hand only shooting. But what if you get an injury and have to shoot weak handed? Oh sh**! Oh hell, I know! I can enter the PIN number and release the blocks! Yes, I can totally see myself doing that during a shooting.
Of course, if you happen to go down and your significant other or partner picks up your gun to defend herself, he better start dragging your corpse or else the gun will go in automatic shutdown. If he has a tomahawk, he can chop your wrist off and take the watch with him to safety.
And,of course the whole system is up and running 24/7, no need for human intervention in times when you really don’t have the time, right? Go check the video.
Use your imagination and figure out what else will go wrong with this thing. About the only good thing is that HK will no longer have to bear the shame of having the worst idea for a handgun, namely the P7.
I have a headache now…
Update: I went back to the Armatix site to read about the other security devices and found this very joyful tidbit of information that will surely makes us so safe and happy:
With stocks currently numbering 650 million, handguns definitely belong to the mass-produced product sector. There is no doubt that smart electronics will go on to conquer this sector. Legislators in many countries are working on binding provisions to pave the way for new technologies. Armatix’s mechatronic solutions for securing handguns, revolvers and rifles are already charting the course that the entire industry will follow in the years to come. The advantages in terms of safeguarding shooters and their environment are much too obvious to be disregarded on a wider front in the near future
Once equipped with chip-based intelligence, weapons and weapon systems can be networked with computers. In this way, it will be possible to log the use of arms and ammunition in detail, flexibly control this use, and evaluate it in multiple dimensions.
Although obviously a practical impossibility, the idea of remotely controlling the operation of existing personal firearms, the fact that a group of idiots developed the idea of such system that can be available and accessed by either the government or some criminal hacker does not make me warm and fuzzy.
It looks pretty slick, maybe if one of the ‘operating modes’ was Full Auto, I might be interested 🙂
I think I’ll stick with my 1911
I kind of want one just so that I can solder in a resistor here and a short there in order to bypass all the fancy electronics.
Maybe I am being overly cynical, but I have a major suspicion that this thing is only in 22LR because the electronic components can’t stand up to the beating from the recoil of a more powerful round. Also I find interesting that we have yet to hear of a msrp for this pile of teutonic fail, but I am willing to bet that it is eye wateringly expensive for what looks like a gussied up P22.
KS, I would not be surprised if that is the case. Bigger caliber means bigger gun and more space for internal crap from an engineering standpoint.
I think it’s getting a lot of undeserved flack. It’s not really intended for self-defense, it’s only in .22 after all. And when you add in that has an option to only fire when it’s pointed at the target, I could see it being a great option for teaching new shooters while avoiding shot up range ceilings.
I think the main reason it’s getting so much attention is the state of NJ looking at whether it would satisfy the requirements of a “safe” gun and thus cause their laws requiring all guns to only shoot for the owner to kick in. (Simplified, I know, but I’m about to run out the door and couldn’t look up what it was actually called.)
It’s the Obama gun.
To be fair, it looks slightly more successful than his health care plan.
Miguel and guys, in 2010 when they first introduced the 1P1 their stated price was € 7000 — call it $10k depending on exchange rate fluctuations.
Hell… Neither Smart engineering nor smart marketing!
I get dizzy when I think about the ability of a government to have a global “kill switch” to turn off all the civilian guns after these are mandated. What could go wrong?
Aw, just shut up and getz on zee train to the “re-education/obama worship center.
I’m practicing defending myself by throwing the ammo safe. The unloaded firearm is in a separate safe bolted to the slab floor and framing.
If you can’t ban guns, ban their usefulness.
When previous efforts to enlist Law Enforcement Offices/Agencies to adopt this scheme, it was met with not only “NO”, but really NO!!! The off chances of the handgun not working when needed most far exceeded the possibilities of an unintentional discharge. And even this will not prevent an unintentional/accidental discharge if the shooter pulls the trigger a the wrong time.
The civilian response was ‘we’ll adopt it when the police and military do”, i.e. NEVER!!! In this case, Murphy was an optimist when things could go wrong!!!
.22LR, 10-round automatic?
Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the Phoneix Arms HP22 automatic. My brother has one, and it’s a blast to shoot if you’re shooting targets. Which, let’s face it, is about all .22LR is good for.(not that there’s anything wrong with that.)
It’s also available in the sub-$200 price range, meaning it’s less than 0.5% the price of this moronic rich-kids’ toy. And if you DO have to use it in a defense situation, a dead battery isn’t going to cause it to fail.
So in short, the Armatrix iP1 is directly competing with something that’s cheaper, more reliable, more available, and better for anything you would actually use the iP1 for.
and they’ll get around that by making the iP1 the only one available.
Yeah, there’s no way that’ll spark a recall election of every lawmaker who supports it ever.
I’m not sure you understand that its failure modes are the entire point of the thing. Reliable semi-autos have been around for more than 100 years. JMB’s .22 Colt Woodsman was introduced in 1915.
The problem this pistol seeks to solve is that the slew of handguns available, ya know, work. As intended.
As an engineer, I see “failure state” in this case as “disabling mechanisms are triggered in a state where a valid user should be able to fire the gun without difficulty, or are left in a disabled state due to the hassle of forcefully enabling the firearm.”
I was just trying to point out that it’s 500x as expensive as the guns that it’s realistically competing directly with, and the only thing it has to offer for the price increase is that it’s significantly less reliable. But then, given that describes the Affordable Care Act perfectly, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised.
It will be impossible to conceal carry because people will just have to look at your watch. Also, carrying two will look REALLY weird.
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“About the only good thing is that HK will no longer have to bear the shame of having the worst idea for a handgun, namely the P7.”
And just when I thought you could be taken seriously. Tch,tch,tch.
C’mon… The squeeze-cocking was a damn terrible idea for a gun. Although accurate, it was a pain to shoot because you needed the grip of death and having your hand cooked by the gases..
To be upfront about it, I do own a P7. In fact it’s my everyday CC during the summer. (that’s about 9 months here)
Though I haven’t personally measured it, “they” say that it requires ~ 12 lbs of effort to initially “squeeze cock”, but only ~1 1/2 lbs to maintain its readiness. Hardly a death grip. If my arthritic hands can handle it, I’m sure it wouldn’t an issue for most. Hell, I’ve shot pistols that had a 12 lb trigger pull for EVERY shot.
You are right though, if I run 3 mags through it without a break, it does get HOT. I don’t have a problem with that on a defensive pistol. And as you noted, it is accurate.
As you’ve stated elsewhere, it’s all about choice. I couldn’t agree more, and I can understand how many people would never warm up to the P7, but calling it “the worst idea for a handgun” seems a bit dramatic.
I’ll grant you that…hispanic blood and all that 🙂
http://youtu.be/M5tjDrrx34U
Not brazilian, but close enough
RFID jammer = gun worthless.
http://consumerist.com/2007/01/18/protect-your-rfid-credit-card-with-a-rf-jammer/
It is a 22LR and only 10 rounds because that is all Obama wants citizens to own. 22LR. Ban all the rest.
As soon as they said RFID and computer networks I noped hard. Companies do such a piss poor job securing their networks and devices today, just look at medical devices and all the credit card companies that get hacked, that adding a firearm to the list of possibilities is mind numbingliy stupid. No electronic device is safe. Anything from your microwave to your car can be compromised, just because it hasn’t been yet doesn’t mean its not possible.
So not only was this designed by people who don’t know shit about firearms we have the added benefit of people who don’t know shit about computer security to make it more dangerous.