Axon Flex 2 Body Camera Mounts

ABOUT

Axon was creating a line of body cameras and they wanted a new flex (pun intended).

I worked along side a team of engineers and two other designers to help develop the body camera mounts now used by police and security officers around the country. Axon has been able to “protect life and preserve truth” in helping keep innocent citizens at peace and corrupt authorities accountable.

Check out the Axon Flex 2 and all of the camera mounts here.

CONTRIBUTIONS

Industrial Design, Prototyping + Sketching

CREDITS

Creative Director - Chris Buttenob

Senior Designer - Justin Salamon

THE PROBLEM

Body cameras have become critical to the way the general population views police officers of large cities where there is potential for higher crime rates as well as police corruption. How might we mount a new generation of body cameras to officers to make them durable enough for daily use and create a sense of accountability for officers and citizens alike?

1. Make the camera one with the uniform. Day-in and day-out body cameras need to be integrated into the routine and appearance of police and security officer uniforms. This should make the camera inconspicuous to officers and citizens, but reliant.

2. One camera, multiple solutions. The body camera goes where the officer does. As a result it needs to be used with different uniforms, tactical gear, and situations that call for specific equipment. Simply put, it does not get left behind.

3. It goes where the user goes. Whether it be driving, running, or during an arrest, the body camera needs to have a rock solid attachment to the uniform but still be easily removable at the end of a shift.

Axon Inc. sought to create multiple new mounting options that hold onto an officer uniform in the most taxing situations. They needed to hold onto a camera well enough that it could only be removed by an officer, and not be easily knocked off in a physical altercation.

A few different fastener options considered were clips, spring steel, safety/security pins, but eventually neodymium magnets provided the strongest, while still removable, option for officers in the field.

As the different mounting options were being developed part of the team focused on camera retention. Combining the strength of the neodymium magnets with the flex of a nylon clip the team had created a rock solid connection between the camera and the body mounts.

Here’s a sample of some of the sketches and initial prototypes that I worked on. Using the mounts from the first version of the Axon Flex, we were able to focus on creating each mounting solution as well as implement further refined prototypes into user testing.

The prototypes were created with laser-cut delran as well as 3M grip tape to provide the rigidity and grip needed to adapt to the form of different officer necks. The Y-shaped feet provided the option for an over-the-shoulder epaulette mount that utilized flexible neoprene, also laminated with the 3M material