What do you think will be the next big evolution in RDS?

[VIP3R 237]

I can see this happening. Or having a floating projected reticle so you have no body or lens to fog up or break. And round counters do exist, cobalt kinetics brought one out but it’s still expensive and bulky, but technology will correct that as time goes by.

I don't know that it'll be next... but eventually I do expect to see full holographic Heads Up Displays like fighter pilots have in a rifle-mount package. We're already partway there with Google Glass and the monocle HUD's on Apache pilot helmets... The trick is going to be figuring out sensor packages for things like ammunition count--best thing I can think of would be RFID tags in the follower and floorplate, with some kind of smartphone-or-smaller reader (compugeeks out there, would a Gumstix-based system work here?) and microcomputer unit using the distance between those tags and data encoded into them to calculate rounds remaining.

War is not Nintendo, but a lot of Nintendo Generation hardware and ideas have been adapted to modern combat-training techniques.

[mebiuspower]

If Eotech can put their reticle in a pistol sized RDS with an easily changeable battery for obvious reasons that’d probably be pretty gnarly. And I have no idea if the science of lasers will ever make that possible.

They had a now stalled pistol RDS program that needed more R&D funding, but the truth is there's so much competition in the marketplace as it is.

We're not there yet technology-wise to shrink holographic sight down to the size of a RMR.

[mebiuspower]

Me personally i don't see the RDS doing evolving much more but rather getting smaller and lasting longer (and maybe offering green options in addition to red)....i know me personally would love something like a Trijicon "RMR-c" that could fit on a Glock 43 or Shield.

Keep your eye open at SHOT Show... there will be something totally new from an Israeli optic company.

[Ned Christiansen]

Making the sight more knock-proof is the next step in my opinion..... on a carbine they are generally so vulnerable. Getting it shielded while keeping it small. The attached is basically a quick fleshing-out of a concept that could be made quite a bit smaller and lighter in a subsequent iteration but as-is, gets "protected" done pretty well. An MRDS has a lot of offer for certain applications and the limit is not a hard line, I mean, I've pushed a similar setup to 300M on pop-ups and it was far from ineffective.

[Doc Safari]

I think motion sensing power on and off will be the first thing perfected. Some makers are already dabbling in it. I also see future optics taking advantage of all power options: battery, tritium, solar, whatever, all on the same optic. I also see optics continuing to miniaturize.

[mebiuspower]

I think motion sensing power on and off will be the first thing perfected. Some makers are already dabbling in it. I also see future optics taking advantage of all power options: battery, tritium, solar, whatever, all on the same optic. I also see optics continuing to miniaturize.

Meprolight MOR is tri-powered and has been available for a while.

Meprolight M5 RDS has motion sensor and it's standard IDF issue optic.

[Diamondback]

I can see this happening. Or having a floating projected reticle so you have no body or lens to fog up or break. And round counters do exist, cobalt kinetics brought one out but it’s still expensive and bulky, but technology will correct that as time goes by.

Bingo--it's not implausible that someday we'll see shooting glasses with integrated "Augmented Reality" systems (ie, Google Glass caliber, projected into the viewfield of both eyes) akin to the info displays in a present-day First-Person Shooter game. And then from there, incorporating windage, range, temperature, humidity, leading for target movement, etc. correction... "just put the dot where you want the bullet to go and pull the trigger."

[HeruMew]

I think, personally, one of the biggest evolutions we will see is digital processors.

Say goodnight to astigmatism and low light shooting with a digital optic that turns on with movement, uses quick buttons to zoom in and out, and holds it's digital zero with no moving parts to break, stretch, or get knocked around.

It won't need "Glass", outside of the digital camera lens, and the feedback on range, angles, etc, will be factored in with it's programming to accelerate the shooter' abilities.

It will take another 20 years, is my bet, but with the increasing options of NV, Digital Optis with Auto Range/Tracking capabilities, it's really only a matter of time before that technology get's solidified and they're offering compact "RDS"s that can go to 10x Zoom and back to 1x with a tap of a button.

ETA: 4-5 Years ago, I broke out the pen and pad, and drew out a design which incorporated wireless (or wired) control panels that mount to your rail for quick zoom features and programmable zoom settings.

It's a dream, for sure, but one that I really hope to bring to fruition at some point in the near future. Conceptually, it's fantastic, but I know electronics are harder to work with than that.

[markm]

Making the sight more knock-proof is the next step in my opinion..... on a carbine they are generally so vulnerable. Getting it shielded while keeping it small. The attached is basically a quick fleshing-out of a concept that could be made quite a bit smaller and lighter in a subsequent iteration but as-is, gets "protected" done pretty well. An MRDS has a lot of offer for certain applications and the limit is not a hard line, I mean, I've pushed a similar setup to 300M on pop-ups and it was far from ineffective.

YES! I was going to say build it a roll cage! My aimpoint C3 in a wilcox mount fell over on tile and got knocked 10-12 moa out of zero.

[Ned Christiansen]

Roll cage. Roll Cage. That's what I'm gonna call it, thanks!