The Hannibal Reactive Target System is a new approach to hit sensing targets.
While there are many reactive targets on the market, we found that none of them had the feature set and capabilities that we wanted. In particular, we wanted a product that could be used in conjunction with the TRACS Robot.
So we decided to design our own. Patent No. 9,097,498 (other worldwide patents pending)
Taking careful note of existing product limitations, we incorporated a number of unique design elements. First, when used in conjunction with the robot, we knew that impacts from incoming rounds were a possibility. So we built Hannibal from ¼" military-grade armor plate with a Brinell hardness rating of 500.
Then we found that all off-the-shelf targets had just a simple 90-degree rotation from standing to the dropped position. This results in two problems: The target requires a lot of space behind it to land in and the center of gravity shifts making it less stable when mounted on the TRACS Robot. Our patent-pending approach is to pivot the target about the waistline forward as that pivot point drops and rotates rearward. This motion maintains center of gravity while reducing clearance requirements. An added benefit is a more realistic body collapse. Only in Hollywood do bad guys fly backward when they are shot.
The next task was to give it the power it needs to be able to lift full-size mannequins with arms and leg parts rather than limiting the user to just military Ivan type targets. Hannibal has a variety of target mounting options from mil-spec E and F type targets, to Ivan and man-on-a-stick targets, to full mannequins.
But we didn't stop there. Hannibal has brains as well as brawn.
We designed the electronics package around an embedded Linux single-board computer system. With such a system we are able to support traditional computer networking via 10baseT Ethernet or even 802.11 WiFi. Using an industry-standard Linux environment also means that software upgrades with new features are a snap.
Then we gave it a voice. Hannibal has extensive sound capabilities. A variety of sounds can be played when the system detects a hit or a kill shot. But we also gave it an attitude. Hannibal can be configured to play taunting sounds adding another element of realism to close-quarters combat training.
Next we gave it some smarts. Hannibal can be configured not just for a specific number of hits necessary to register a hit but a random number of hits so that a group of students can train on the system and never know how many hits each student may need to drop the target.
Hannibal also has a bobbing feature for use on ship-borne sniper training. The target moves up and down slightly required the shooter to plan the timing of the shot.
Hannibal supports two vibration-type hit sensors. The system could be configured as a hostage/terrorist dual target, one sensor on each. Should the student miss the terrorist and hit the hostage, the system can respond accordingly.
Hannibal has accessory inputs and outputs. When used as a standalone target in a shoot house, a pressure pad can be connected and placed in the doorway of a room. When the entry team steps on the pad, the target can pop up from behind a couch. The accessory output could be connected to a suicide belt simulator and triggered if the student doesn't take the headshot.
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