SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., May 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Axon (Nasdaq:
AXON), the global leader in connected public safety technologies,
today announced the launch of its first wireless Virtual Reality
(VR) Simulator Training. Axon's VR Simulator will provide immersive
virtual reality content that can help officers develop critical
thinking, de-escalation and tactical skills.
Today's police training methods can be time-consuming,
unrealistic and expensive. In addition, the majority of trainings
are focused on "hands-on" use of force, which is necessary, but
accounts for less than one percent of police and citizen
interactions nationwide. Axon's VR Simulator provides officers with
more access to what they need most: training on how to best
interact with the community, de-escalate effectively and support
individuals in crisis.
"Officers on patrol frequently encounter individuals in crisis.
Through the use of this breakthrough simulator, we are able to
fully immerse officers into common situations, helping prepare them
for a number of different variables with an emphasis on
de-escalation," says Rick Smith,
Axon CEO and founder. "Our mission has always been to protect life,
and by giving law enforcement the ability to work through the
situations they see in the field daily, we can help create outcomes
that are better for everyone."
The VR Simulator provides industry-leading content and allows
trainees to work through complex scenarios that have been refined
and validated by a diverse network of first responders and subject
matter experts. One of the first training modules included at
launch will cover domestic violence. It allows officers to actually
talk and walk through the scenario as they would in the field, with
feedback from trainers and supervisors, allowing them to practice
more and enhance their skills, better preparing them for the
situations they encounter each day.
The wireless VR headsets, provided by industry leading partner,
HTC VIVE and their latest HTC VIVE Focus 3, delivers an all-in-one
unit that's simple to deploy and use, with no extraneous hardware,
time or space constraints. The VR training provides connectivity
for both in-person and remote experiences, creating an on-demand
platform that can be accessed anytime instead of at a designated
training facility.
Axon's VR Simulator training will also integrate the TASER 7
device and training handguns, so officers can use real hardware in
the virtual world, creating muscle memory and familiar responses in
the most critical high-risk situations while leveraging a
fully-immersive environment.
The Phoenix Police Department
will be the first agency to adopt Axon's new VR Simulator into its
existing training curriculum.
"We are always looking for opportunities to innovate and improve
our officers' abilities to handle various calls for service," says
Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams. "Axon's new training platform
allows our officers to run through scenarios in the safety of a
controlled learning environment. This technology lets us train more
efficiently, benefiting the responding officer and our
community."
The VR Training seamlessly integrates into an agency's current
training program with connection to the Axon Academy learning
management system. The learning objectives and content of Axon
Academy and Axon's Community Engagement VR Training feed into the
scenarios of the VR Simulator. The Community Engagement VR Training
launched in 2018 and is now used by more than one thousand police
agencies in the U.S. and Canada.
Currently available modules include Schizophrenia, Autism, Suicidal
Ideation, Hard of Hearing, Alzheimer's/ Dementia, Veteran
Post-Traumatic Stress Injury, Peer Intervention and Domestic
Violence. New content is released each month.
Axon is currently accepting orders for the VR Simulator
Training, and will ship to U.S. customers in Q3 2021.
About Axon
Axon is a network of devices, apps and people that helps public
safety personnel become smarter and safer. With a mission of
protecting life, our technologies give customers the confidence,
focus and time they need to keep their communities safe. Our
products impact every aspect of a public safety officer's
day-to-day experience with the goal of helping everyone get home
safe.
We work hard for those who put themselves in harm's way for all
of us. To date, more than 245,000 lives and countless dollars have
been saved with the Axon network of devices, apps and people. Learn
more at www.axon.com or by calling (800) 978-2737. Axon is a
global company with headquarters in Scottsdale, Ariz. and global software
engineering hub in Seattle, Wash.,
as well as additional offices in Australia, Canada, Finland, Vietnam, the UK and the Netherlands.
Facebook is a trademark of Facebook, Inc., HTC VIVE is a
trademark of the HTC Corporation and Twitter is a trademark of
Twitter, Inc. Axon, Axon Academy, Axon Evidence, TASER 7 and the
Delta Logo are trademarks of Axon Enterprise, Inc., some of which
are registered in the US and other countries. For more information,
visit www.axon.com/legal. All rights reserved.
Follow Axon here:
- Axon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/axon_us
- Axon on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Axon.ProtectLife/
Note to Investors
Please visit http://investor.axon.com, https://www.axon.com/press,
www.twitter.com/axon_us and
https://www.facebook.com/Axon.ProtectLife/ where Axon discloses
information about the company, its financial information and its
business.
For our recent Safe Harbor Statement, please view page 2 of our
Investor Relations Presentation HERE.
CONTACT:
Corinne Clark
Public Relations Manager
Press@axon.com
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