You must have heard of “The Internet of Things” quite a few times by now, but TrackingPoint, an armaments manufacturer from the US of A, is taking the idea into uncharted waters.
At its very basic, internet of things implies that everything is connected. TrackingPoint, an Austin startup known for precision-guided firearms, has just announced ShotView, an iOS and Google Play app that lets a hunter stream video from his or her gun to anyone in the world. The company demoed the technology at CES with its new 338TP precision-guided firearm which “allows even novice shooters to make mile-long shots with greater precision than the most skilled marksmen in the world — even on targets moving 30mph.”
Here’s their official press release:
“Hunting and shooting sports are now part of the Web fabric. With this new technology, friends and family are virtually transported and immersed in exotic and exciting hunts,” says Danielle Hambleton, TrackingPoint’s vice president of marketing. “Hunters can now share the thrill of the stalk and the excitement of victory in real-time.”
According to Cisco, more than 99 percent of things in the physical world are still not connected to the Internet. But, this new technology represents a giant leap forward for the firearms industry. “We wholeheartedly embrace Cisco’s vision for the Internet of Everything,” says Hambleton. “Our exceptional long-range hunting technology combined with Cisco’s foresight will vastly enrich the world of hunting and shooting sports.”
“Now that the firearm is networked, the sky is the limit,” says Vann Hasty, TrackingPoint’s vice president of engineering.
This is a different exploration for an idea whose time has come. We will leave the discussions about gun ethics and control for another day.
