A Rifle That Runs Linux

If you enjoy shooting rifles in video games, maybe you'd find hunting in real life a bit easier with an interface that resembles a video game?

While not quite an automated rifle, it is a gun that has a wifi server that will stream video. This linux powered rifle has software assisted aiming and the ability to share what you see via the gun's sights, with smart phone or tablet toting friends nearby.

The Tracking Point hunting rifle is another example of CES showcased tech you can use.

With a guided trigger and networked tracking scope you're targets will find it hard to escape. The ballistic calculator and built-in tracking engine ensure your bullet finds its target. ArsTechnica explains rather nicely:

The Linux-powered scope produces a display that looks something like the heads-up display you'd see sitting in the cockpit of a fighter jet, showing the weapon's compass orientation, cant, and incline. To shoot at something, you first "mark" it using a button near the trigger. Marking a target illuminates it with the tracking scope's built-in laser, and the target gains a pip in the scope's display. When a target is marked, the tracking scope takes into account the range of the target, the ambient temperature and humidity, the age of the barrel, and a whole boatload of other parameters. It quickly reorients the display so the crosshairs in the center accurately show where the round will go.

Image recognition routines keep the pip stuck to the marked target in the scope's field of view, and at that point, you squeeze the trigger. This doesn't fire the weapon; rather, the reticle goes from blue to red, and while keeping the trigger held down, you position the reticle over the marked target's pip. As soon as they coincide, the rifle fires.

Forget marksmanship, this allows anyone with the means and morals (or lack thereof) to be able to operate a long distance high powered rifle.

Perhaps instead of Kevlar we'll wear electronic counter-measures and wireless malware that targets weapons-grade linux?

Confused, mildly outraged, or downright scared? I recommend watching the preview video from the folks at TrackingPoint: