Remotely operated, non-lethal drones key in long-term plan to
detect and stop mass shootings in less than 60 seconds
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., June 2, 2022
/PRNewswire/ -- Axon (NASDAQ: AXON), the global leader in connected
public safety technologies, today announced it has formally begun
development of a non-lethal, remotely-operated TASER drone system
as part of a long-term plan to stop mass shootings, and reaffirmed
it is committed to public engagement and dialogue during the
development process. This includes accelerating detection and
improving real-time situational awareness of active shooter events,
enhancing first responder effectiveness through VR training, and
deploying remotely operated non-lethal drones capable of
incapacitating an active shooter in less than 60 seconds.
"Today, the only viable response to a mass shooter is another
person with a gun," says Axon CEO and founder Rick Smith. "In the aftermath of these events,
we get stuck in fruitless debates. We need new and better
solutions. For this reason, we have elected to publicly engage
communities and stakeholders, and develop a remotely operated,
non-lethal drone system that we believe will be a more effective,
immediate, humane, and ethical option to protect innocent
people."
"In my 2019 book, The End of Killing, I described in
detail how such a system could work, as illustrated in this graphic
novel. Now is the time to make this technology a reality—and to
begin a robust public discussion around how to ethically introduce
non-lethal drones into schools. I proposed the Three Laws of First
Responder Robotics to lay the groundwork of an ethical and legal
framework to safeguard these systems so that we can improve public
safety and avoid misuse. Today is the next step as Axon will begin
formal product development on technology centered around these
ideas," continues Smith.
The non-lethal drone is part of a
three-part strategy to stop mass shooter events:
1 - Integrate camera networks and other sensors into
real-time communications with first responders.
Axon recently announced a partnership with Fusus, which allows
schools, businesses or other enterprises to easily connect and
share security camera feeds with local public safety and other
security partners. With this integration, Axon body cameras, Axon
Fleet dashboard cameras, and Axon Air-powered drones with the Fusus
network will provide real-time access to a wide network of sensors
during critical events. Fusus gives full and secure control of data
sharing to the owner of each camera and sensor, so they can choose
exactly when access is shared and with whom. This is available
today through the partnership with Fusus.
"Trying to find and stop an active shooter based on the
telephone game connecting victim 911 callers is antiquated," says
Chris Lindenau, CEO of Fusus. "Fusus
brings the ability to share any security camera to first
responders, providing known locations and visual live feeds
regardless of which security cameras they use. This network of
cameras, with human and AI monitoring, together with panic buttons
and other local communication tools, can detect and ID a threat
before a shot is fired and dramatically improve response times and
situational awareness."
2 - Enhance first responder effectiveness through immersive
Virtual Reality (VR) Active Shooter Response Training. Axon
recently launched Virtual Reality Simulator Training to provide
highly immersive and engaging training experiences for public
safety. Through partnerships with key expert and stakeholder
groups, Axon will develop and deliver more effective training for
responding to mass shooting events in the next 12 months.
3 - Enable immediate threat incapacitation through remotely
operated, non-lethal drone capability.
Axon is actively developing a miniaturized, lightweight TASER
payload capable of being deployed on a small drone or robot. Axon
has begun collaborating with our partner DroneSense on a remote
piloting capability and our imaging team will develop the targeting
algorithms to assist operators in properly and safely aiming the
device. Note that all use-of-force decisions will be made by an
authenticated and authorized human operator who has agreed to take
legal and moral responsibility for any force actions initiated.
Axon is collaborating with a variety of drone hardware providers
and will make a selection later this year on final development
partner(s). Functional proof of concept will be available in 2023
with a full solution ready in 2024.
"In 2020, 3,500 people died in fires in the United States. That same year, 45,222
people died of firearm related injuries. There are over 10 million
fire hydrants pre-emplaced in the United
States, and every modern building has fire suppression
systems to contain fires until fire-fighters can arrive," notes
Smith. "I believe we can create systems that can detect, deter, and
ultimately stop a shooter within a building for a comparable cost
as, or less than, fire suppression systems."
Ethical and Regulatory
Framework
To ensure the safe, responsible, and transparent deployment of
this technology, Axon is integrating the Authentication,
Authorization, and Accountability (AAA) Control System. This
comprehensive framework ensures only approved and highly trained
users can operate and activate the system, and that an end-to-end
audit trail is retained, providing 100% transparency on the
deployment and engagement of every remotely operated TASER system.
The AAA Control System is key to implementing Axon's 3 Laws of
First Responder Robotics. These three laws developed in discussions
with various experts, stakeholders and the general public will
continue to evolve to ensure Axon understands and mitigates risks
associated with this new technology to the greatest degree
possible.
Axon's Three Laws of First
Responder Drones
- Humans must own decisions and remain
accountable. Robots must be controlled by authenticated
human operators who accept legal and moral responsibility for any
decision that impacts a human subject.
- Drones should be used to save lives, not take
them. Operators of drones who are not in immediate danger
are duty bound to de-escalate whenever possible and deploy the
minimal force necessary. Only non-deadly force should be used.
- Agencies must provide rigorous oversight and transparency to
ensure acceptable use. Institutions operating robots capable of
deploying force must develop publicly available policies describing
in advance the types of circumstances in which robots should be
deployed. Every incident of force deployed from a robotic system
shall be recorded with audio-video and operational data to be
reviewed by an oversight committee.
Axon views the design and implementation of the regulatory,
legal and ethical framework of equal importance to the technology
development. We have begun and will continue collaboration with
various regulatory agencies and legislative bodies to ensure these
powerful new capabilities are appropriately regulated and
controlled to maximize the life saving potential while minimizing
the opportunity for misuse or abuse.
Public and Partner
Engagement
"To make the future different than the past, we must try new
approaches. I believe that a remotely operated, non-lethal drone is
far safer than sending an armed human being into a volatile
setting. I also realize this is a transformative change, and I am
committed to listening to concerns and feedback over the next
several years as we move through development," concludes
Rick Smith.
The Axon AI Ethics Board has reviewed police use of remotely
operated, non-lethal drones, prior to the mass shootings in
Buffalo and Uvalde. The majority of the board voted to
advise Axon not to proceed and plans to issue a report in the Fall
of 2022. However, given these tragic mass shootings, Axon has asked
the board to re-engage and consider issuing further guidance and
feedback on this capability.
To evaluate this technology's impact on communities, Axon will
work with its Community Advisory Coalition (CAC). Formed in 2021,
the CAC brings together community leaders to share diverse
perspectives and inform Axon's products and services.
The effort to detect and stop mass shooting events will require
a wide range of partnerships to bring the best possible technology
to bear. Companies interested in being considered as technology
partners should email Partners@axon.com.
People or enterprises interested in receiving more information
and updates as development progresses can email
StopShootings@axon.com.
Rick Smith will also be hosting a
Reddit AMA on Friday, June 3rd, 2022
at 1pm EST, to further discuss these
ideas.
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 267,000 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.
About Fusus
Fusus is the most widely used and trusted Real-Time Crime Center
platform in U.S. Law Enforcement. The Fusus Platform is an open
ecosystem that integrates and enhances all public safety and
investigations assets. It can integrate with any data source, pull
in public and private video feeds, enable video sources with
artificial intelligence, integrate ALPR, body camera, drone and
aircraft feeds, and do it all by utilizing and unifying existing
equipment. The Fusus platform is affordable and scalable for
agencies of every size and budget. It enables law enforcement and
public safety personnel to function more efficiently and with
improved operational intelligence, creating a common operating
picture that emphasizes officer, citizen and community safety.
About DroneSense
Based in Austin, Texas,
DroneSense offers a comprehensive solution that empowers
organizations to build, manage, and scale unmanned aircraft
programs. The company's mission-critical software platform enables
users to leverage the full capabilities of drones in all
operations. Drones powered by the DroneSense platform provide
decision-quality data that expands situational awareness and acts
as a force multiplier, ultimately leading to more lives saved and
safer outcomes in public safety. To learn more about DroneSense,
please visit www.dronesense.com.
Facebook is a trademark of Facebook, Inc. DroneSense is a
trademark of DroneSense, Inc. and Twitter is a trademark of
Twitter, Inc.
Axon, Axon Air, Axon Body, Axon Fleet, Axon Network, TASER 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.
CONTACT:
Corinne Clark
Axon PR Manager
Press@Axon.com
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