Smart gun operating on facial recognition goes on sale in U.S.

Biofire Tech in Colorado is taking orders for a facial-recognition-enabled smart rifle.

This week, Reuters displayed a smart pistol prototype that failed to fire twice. The mechanical cannon, manufactured from pre-production and prototype parts, caused the failure, according to company founder and CEO Kai Kloepfer. The software and electronics were completely tested.

The firearm and facial-recognition technology worked at other occasions throughout the demonstration.

A fingerprint reader can enable Biofire’s gun, one of numerous smart gun features that prevent child shootings, suicides, police gun grabs, and useless weaponry.

Biofire said pre-ordered 9mm handguns might ship in the fourth quarter of this year, with the $1,499 model available in the second quarter of 2024.

It may be the first US smart pistol sold since the Armatix in 2014. LodeStar Works and Free State Firearms are also developing smart guns.

Kloepfer shot a round and put the pistol down in a demonstration at Biofire headquarters in Broomfield, Colorado. Another man tried to shoot but the gun did not recognize his face.

Kloepfer refired it. The rifle clicked twice before firing on successive trigger pulls. Another prototype worked well.

Gun enthusiasts are dubious about smart gun technology, fearing it will fail in a self-defense situation.

“I’ve not just built a product, but an entire company around: How do we build an extremely reliable product that will always unlock for you anytime that you pick it up, and will never unlock when your kid finds it,” Kloepfer added.