“I am excited to join this incredible team and use my experience in extended reality to further Axon’s mission to protect life,” says Chris Chin. “I look forward to leading and growing the world class talent we have here at Axon as we continue to advance and develop immersive technologies to improve officer training and outcomes of encounters between public safety and the communities they serve.”

Chris holds a BSE from Princeton University, MS from U.C. Berkeley and MBA from Wharton Business school. He currently advises and mentors VR/AR startups and is an avid Boston sports fan.

Q&A with Chris

What excites you most about working at Axon?
I’m most excited about how XR (extended reality) can support Axon’s overall mission to ensure everyone gets home safe. Axon has done an amazing job supporting public safety through innovation and technology, and immersive technology has enormous potential to contribute to that evolution. I’ve always been passionate about XR’s ability to have a positive impact in the world and now, at Axon, I’m absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to realize that vision--especially when it comes to learning and training. Axon’s people, culture, leadership and mission simply align with my own values.

What does an immersive experience mean?
Imagine putting on a headset and finding yourself in a different place, time or even as a different person. When you move around, the virtual world reacts intelligently to your actions. You can be placed in a situation to get a different perspective and build empathy and understanding, or you can learn how to handle difficult situations that you’d be hard-pressed to re-create in real life. The effect of the experience seems so real, that even though you consciously know it’s not, your brain can’t help but believe it’s real. You react viscerally, physiologically, and emotionally to what you’re experiencing virtually.

Did you ever think playing video games would lead to developing new uses for immersive experiences that directly impact human lives?
Back in the day, I never envisioned video games having much more impact beyond a sense of challenge, excitement, achievement, satisfaction and social bonding. That’s why it’s so exciting to see how the foundation of gaming has evolved into immersive technology at Axon.The use cases of how that is impacting people's lives are incredible. We’ve come a long way from playing basketball on a screen like Larry Bird or Doctor J!

Was immersive even possible a few years ago? How fast is this arena evolving?
Immersive technologies such as VR have been around for decades. However, only in the past 5 years or so have advances in computer, optics, mobile and battery made it possible for the technology to be readily accessible. This has opened up possibilities for immersive applications ranging from gaming and healthcare, to education and training. The ecosystem has grown tremendously and many of the largest tech companies are investing heavily in immersive technology as the next computing platform. Axon, and other innovation-oriented enterprises, understands the potential for XR to fundamentally transform how we live, learn and work. This will take some time, of course, but may happen faster than you’d think.

How is Axon growing in this space?
Axon is blazing new trails by pioneering immersive training for public safety. Our Community Engagement VR training has been extremely well-received by customers and we’re constantly adding more modules to meet demand. We’re also expanding our content portfolio with the recently announced VR Simulator training, and that’s just the beginning. I’m super excited about the enormous opportunity in front of us, as we also look to ramp up XR solutions in some of our newer growth markets including Fire and EMS. The potential is absolutely limitless, and we’re looking for great people to join the team!

Why is now a great time to join Axon?
Our world-class team is growing rapidly and building XR solutions that will have a truly meaningful impact in our communities. Joining Axon now would be a tremendous opportunity to get in on the ground floor to develop innovative, cutting-edge, immersive solutions that improve public safety training, increase empathy and much, much more. If you’re passionate about XR and our Mission, join us! This is just the beginning of Axon’s journey in immersive technology and we are really aiming far ahead!

To learn how to join Chris’ team, visit: https://www.axon.com/careers/board?department=4038010003