Sandia Labs' bullet doesn't miss

Scientists patent self-guided bullet

Updated: Tuesday, 31 Jan 2012, 7:50 PM MST
Published : Tuesday, 31 Jan 2012, 7:50 PM MST

• Scott Daniels

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Engineers at Sandia National Laboratories have invented a bullet that guides itself to the target.

Sandia has wide expertise at miniature technology, and the bullet works like a tiny guided missile.

The patented design doesn't shoot straight. Instead of a spiral rotation, the bullet twists and turns to guide itself towards a laser directed point. It can make up to thirty corrections per second while in the air.

Jim Jones, distinguished member of technical staff, and his team of engineers at Sandia Labs think the .50-caliber bullets would work well with military machine guns so soldiers could hit their mark faster and with precision.

"We've tested gunpowders to see if we can get muzzle velocity for military interest," Jones said. "We've tested various electronic components to see if they would survive the launch."

The team needs a sponsor to take the prototype and manufacture it on a commercial scale. Research and development grants have taken the project this far.

Jones says it's about halfway through being fully developed for commercial use.