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Taser manufacturer Axon bolsters VR efforts

Axon's new imaging R&D Team. Photo Source: Axon (Twitter)

Public safety technology company Axon announced last week that it has hired an imaging engineering team that will work from a new R&D office in Tampere, Finland. The engineers will focus on improving Axon’s wearable and in-car products, in addition to building solutions that utilize AR, VR and AI.

While Axon is perhaps best known for their widely-used “Taser” electroshock weapons, the company also markets a range of other products and services, including body-worn and in-car cameras, digital evidence management solutions, and systems to assist prosecutors.

“We are thrilled to bring this talented group of imaging engineers on board,” said Axon CEO and founder Rick Smith.

We never stop trying to improve upon the technology we produce for our customers. We know this team will take it to another level, creating next generation breakthroughs for our body-worn and in-car cameras.”

The new team will be led by industry expert Juha Alakarhu, who has led camera technology teams at Nokia and Microsoft. He most recently led development of Nokia’s OZO, a professional VR camera platform featuring seamless stereoscopic 360-degree video recording.

“The team and I are excited for the opportunity to apply our skills to help ensure Axon can deliver the highest quality cameras to law enforcement across the world,” said Alakarhu, who has also been appointed Axon’s VP of Imaging.