14 DAY TRIAL // Modern technology is finally catching up with firearms, thanks to an innovative, laser-assisted sensor for gun sights. The new device helps marksmen and snipers achieve tremendously higher precision levels when executing difficult shots.
The role of the new sensor is to correct even the smallest barrel disruptions automatically, and to allow the gun user to achieve bull's eye hits every time. The fiber-optic laser-based sensor system was developed in the United States.
The team that developed it was led by researcher Slobodan Rajic, who is based at the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The team leader explains that the new sensors are capable of measuring the extent to which the barrel is deflected from the sight.
It then uses electronic devices to perform the necessary corrections, so that the two are perfectly aligned. “For military snipers, missing the target could allow high-profile terrorists to escape,” Rajic says of the reasons why his team conducted the new research.
“For police marksmen, missing the kidnapper could endanger the lives of hostages and then pose subsequent danger to police officers and the public,” he goes on to say. With the new system, perturbation that can be caused in the barrels through a variety of means are eliminated.
The Reticle Compensating Rifle Barrel Reference Sensor realigns the position of the crosshairs with the bore axis of barrel, which is the axis on which the bullet travels, and where its tip will impact.
“When a weapon is sighted in, the aim point and bullet point of impact coincide. However, in the field, anything that comes into contact with the barrel can cause perturbation of the barrel and induce errors,” the ORNL investigator explains.
He adds that small nudges and touches can cause slight imperfections in this alignment. The issue is not that obvious in close-range gun fights, but becomes a real problem for marksmen. Given that they can shoot targets up to 2 miles away, any changes in the barrel-sights alignment causes a shot failure.
“The optical fibers are designed to split the laser beam twice, sending one beam along the top of the rifle barrel and another light beam along the side of the barrel. Thus, we can measure both the vertical and horizontal barrel deflection,” Rajic explains, quoted by Science Blog.
According to the expert, the system can also take other factors affecting the bullet into account. In the end, the user is left with a crosshair that adjusts itself automatically depending of the conditions in which the gun or rifle is used.