Hey there guys! I'm in a university program developing some patents from a Military research base for the civilian market, and one of the ideas that has stood all the tests and processes thus far is a "smart target."
Now, I realize that there are some other electronic target systems out there, but they're upwards of $600. The technology that we would be using would be much cheaper to produce with the same accuracy.

Essentially, this target would tell you exactly where your shots have hit the target. I know that when I'm shooting at 300 yds+ I have difficulty calling my shots, and this target would allow a shooter to get real-time feedback without the use of an additional spotter. I feel as if this would be a useful product that people would buy (Especially if we get it to the price point we wants, sub $150), but what do you guys think? I know I'm not giving a ton of info on how it works, but from everything we've testing this technology is really promising. This system would be an add-on, so you could use existing targets.

I look forward from hearing from you guys!

How large of a target area can this cover?  Standard IPSC, a 6" plate or a 10' x 50' impact berm.

How long would it last?  Is this something with high turn over rate, or $150 per target and you get 100 rounds on it before it needs to be replaced; or is it 10,000 rounds, or dang near infinite.

How would the target reading system be maintained?  Target patches, or have to solder connection back in place.

Is it scalable?  1 target to say 100 targets.

Will it connect to a standard laptop or would it you need a specialized computer?

If it could run multiple targets, and score them, over a typical competitive shooting match (be that 3 gun, IPSC, IDPA, etc) then you are onto something.  It would save time, and increase training, and shooting time by not having to score and  tape targets.

Target size should be able to be whatever is needed. The idea right now is using some form of the cheap "smart" backer we've developed for the target that the target would be applied directly over, which means it would last as long as the target would. The backer wouldn't cost much more than the target itself. Once it's shot up, just replace it.

It could be scalable, just depends on the software.

I thought about IPSC matches because going through and scoring those are time-eater, but I'm not sure this would be the solution since the backer would still have to be replaced.

Thanks for the questions!

If you can put a "Smart Target" on the market for around $150, I hope that you will be able to produce them fast enough!

Key Issues:
- Size, if you are going to be shooting long range, you are going to need a good size target. If you are looking at a competition market, then you are looking at 5-6 foot targets. I am sure that "bigger" equals more dollars, so you might want to look at multiple options/versions, so that a long range shooter could buy a smaller less expensive unit.

- Protection, nothing like putting a round through the "smart part" of the target and destroying it. How will you address that, can you address it at that price point?

- Communication, how will the "target talk to the shooter"? Interface with a mobile device or computer, or will it have a stand alone monitoring system? Will there be supporting software for things like recording shots or scoring targets?

- Service Life, how long will the system last, will it be something that can be shot out?

More power to you if you can open this market up! Having shot on the automated marking/scoring target systems they are nothing short of amazing. Please keep us in the loop, and if you need any test pilots for the system just let me know.

Best of Luck,
M Richardson

EDIT - you may want to post this in the Precision Rifle Forum in the Armory if you are looking for more traffic/feedback.