The U.S. Patent Office has granted a patent to 2 Force Science researchers for a firearms sensor system that may eventually prove valuable in discouraging unintentional discharges and improving handgun handling.
The patent, issued to Dr. Bill Lewinski, executive director of the Force Science Institute, and Dr. Bill Hudson, the Institute’s electrical engineering consultant, covers an arrangement of pressure-sensitive devices that can indicate whether a firearm is gripped properly and whether a shooter’s index finger is correctly aligned on the frame outside the trigger guard.
Initially, Lewinski told Force Science News, the system will be used for research purposes only, on a special handgun that does not fire live rounds. Grip and finger placement of test subjects will be monitored by electrical signals generated by sensors adhered to the gun or via a computer hookup. The data collected will be important to ongoing studies by the Force Science Research Center regarding the role of attention, awareness, and finger placement in unintended discharges.
“Eventually,” Lewinski says, “this sensor system could be used on training guns on ranges and in force-on-force drills. As we progress with our empirical research, we’ll also we exploring real-world applications for this development.”
FSN will keep you posted on results.