Jun 10, 2018 3 min read

Lackawanna College student and Air Force veteran Travis Heller is on target to change the optics game when it comes to shooting.

With his company, IFF Optics, he’s developing advanced scope technology that uses computers on the front of guns to inform the optics and is developing round-counting technology.

Heller, 29, who described himself as an untraditional student, served eight years in the Air Force in tactical aircraft maintenance. His service inspired him to use technology to make gun scopes or gun optics more advanced and safer for not just the military but also civilians.

The company is scheduling a soft launch in August. Until then, Heller is running operations out of his home office in Blakeslee and using a 3-D printer to create his designs. He’s also working on a business administration degree with a minor in information systems technology at Lackawanna College and is set to graduate next year.

His launch product, named Reach, after his favorite “Halo” video game, takes input from a shooter’s first trigger squeeze to make sure the optics of the gun are lined up correctly with a target.

The scope will tell the shooter if the gun is aimed too high or low.

“And next time you pull the trigger it will be on the bull’s-eye,” he said.

Typically realigning the scope is manual, but Heller’s product uses a computer on board to make that process automatic.

“That’s more appealing to the hunter,” he said of the product. “They want to shoot deer or a bear and you want to know when you pull the trigger you’re bringing home supper.”

He also plans to incorporate a tactical flash light, a laser and thermal technology down the road.

Typically high-powered scopes cost between $300 to $13,000, he said, but his product will come in around the $450 to $500 range and will incorporate “a bunch of cool tech we’re had for years.”

IFF Optics is also creating – patent pending – round counting technology that lets a shooter know when they are close to running out of ammunition. He’s already raised several thousand dollars to finance the software.

“You don’t want to know you’re out of ammo after the bad guys knows you’re out of ammo,” he said.

In the scope will be a level that’s green when the gun is fully loaded, yellow when ammunition is low and red when the bullets run out.

He’s been discussing his products with gun shops to gage interest and plans to market his products at gun shows.

Eventually, he plans to move the operations out of his home and into Scranton. He also hopes to corner the civilian market for the optics and then work on government contracts.

“That’s a long-term goal for us, kind of the vision,” he said.