Since 2011, the Austin-based arms manufacturer known as TrackingPoint, has been making high-end precision guided rifles. These are nothing like the firearms that you or I grew up with. Each weapon is mounted with a digital scope that runs on Linux, and includes several sensors that measure range, wind velocity and direction, target size, temperature, and barometric pressure.
All these numbers are crunched by the on-board computer, which then displays the spot you need to aim for. The scope even follows the target as it moves, and when you pull the trigger the rifle doesn’t fire until you are on target.
In short, this is an incredible piece of technology that has been rapidly advancing in recent years. When TrackingPoint came out with their first .338 caliber rifle in January of 2013, it was capable of hitting a target up to .75 miles away, and moving at 20 mph. Now the company is unveiling their latest model, which can hit a target up to a mile away while moving at 30 mph.
