The US Army's Next Rifle May Use Facial Recognition

Futuristic rifles may decide who to shoot.

Point And Shoot

The U.S. Army wants guns that wait to fire until they see the whites of the enemy's eyes.

At least, it put out a call for contractors to develop next-generation rifles that come equipped with facial recognition and automatic targeting software, according to Military.com. The new software could help make soldiers more precise and effective in combat — though it remains unclear how the Army expects to deploy the mind-bending symbiosis of humanity and machines.

Bidding War

Bidding contractors have a chance to win a five-year contract so they can develop a prototype of the rifle, which Military.com reports should provide wireless communication systems, wind trackers, and advanced targeting capabilities that increase "the soldier's ability to rapidly engage man-sized targets out to 600 [meters] or greater while maintaining the ability to conduct Close Quarters Battle."

Within three years, the Army hopes to deploy thousands of these new facial recognition-equipped rifles, which according to plan will come in both semi- and fully-automatic versions.

One could imagine how the use of facial recognition could prevent soldiers from shooting civilians or making other mistakes — but questions remain on how the facial recognition system will be developed and who it will be able to recognize.

READ MORE: Army’s Next Infantry Weapon Could Have Facial-Recognition Technology [Military.com]

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