Guns

​It's a sad fact that school shootings are becoming a semi-regular occurrence in the US. While there are varying opinions on what to do about the problem, Intrusion Technologies' Active Intruder Mitigation System (AIMS) is designed to minimize casualties when a shooter does enter a school.

CCTV systems may help security personnel watch for handguns in places such as airports, but the task of manually scrutinizing every person on every screen is still a daunting one. It was with this in mind that researchers recently developed a system that automatically recognizes guns on video.

With the prospect of robot police officers hitting our streets, it's worth taking a moment to look at the current state of affairs, where we're headed, and whether it's a good idea to give robots guns.

A team of scientists at Flinders University in Australia have developed a new technique for analyzing gunshot residue that is so sensitive that it's possible to match residue with a specific brand of ammunition.

​While most of us may just associate mistletoe with Christmas parties, the fact is that the parasitic plant can be a nuisance in the wild. That's why scientists are taking the offensive, with a system that shoots herbicide up into trees' high branches.​

The latest effort to improve gun safety comes from Israeli startup Zore, which has developed a lock that provides access to a firearm in response to a personalized pin code, offering what the company claims is fast access to the weapon in any circumstances, including the dark.

An 18-year-old mechanical engineering student has affixed a semi-automatic handgun to a custom-built drone and demonstrated its firepower in a video that has quickly attracted the attention of the authorities.

Laser weapons hobbyist Patrick Priebe is no stranger to building functioning versions of guns from video games. Recently, he received a number of requests to create something from League of Legends. The result, the Jinx character's zapper pistol, could certainly be described as "electrifying."

The discovery that a motorcycle made by a gun manufacturer has held the world record for the most expensive motorcycle ever sold at auction raises some interesting contrasts between the different genres in the collectibles market. In August, 2013, a 1910 Winchester motorcycle sold for US$580,000