JOIN USFacing danger? Wearable gadget alerts your friends
With rising threat to women’s safety in cities, a Bengaluru-based entrepreneur has invented a wearable gadget that works like an SOS alert system during emergencies.
The RedDot, on the press of an SOS button, alerts a network of the user’s family, friends or RedDot volunteers. The application has been nominated for the international ‘Anu & Naveen Jain Women’s Safety XPRIZE’, a competition challenging teams around the world to develop an affordable technology solution that women can use to respond to increasing threats.
Vijay Mysore devised the application after being disturbed by the murder of a BPO employee in the city by a cab driver. “The incident could have been prevented if she had access to a device to trigger an alarm or alert her near ones. Frequent incidents of rape, murder and crime have made this device the need of the hour. We plan to tie up with police stations and volunteer organisations to create a powerful safety volunteers’ network,” he said.
Apart from women’s safety concerns, the creator of the device aims to assist users during health emergencies. “My ultimate goal is to be able to help people with special needs and patients who are vulnerable to health emergencies who can avail immediate help in times of need.”
One of the key features of RedDot includes the activation of a virtual companion, wherein the users can be traced by their trusted companions who may be a friend or a family member and the users are continually tracked by their companions till the users feel it is necessary.
The user can be virtually accompanied by a companion through this feature which, when activated, will constantly update the user’s virtual companion about his or her whereabouts.
The feature is an exceptional safety feature for those who travel late at night or may feel they are vulnerable to unpleasant situations. The feature can be switched off once the user feels safe.
“Our user base consists of parents who buy the device for their children and adults who buy the devices for their elderly parents who can reach out to them in times of an emergency,” added Mysore.
How it works
The device is a red SOS button that can be worn in the form of a bracelet or a key chain.
It is linked to the RedDot application on the user’s mobile phone. When the user presses this SOS button in times of an emergency, the mobile sends a pre-configured SOS message to the preconfigured trusted contacts.
These trusted contacts receive an SMS with the location details of the user in the form of a link. The trusted contacts use the URL to find the user’s current location details.
The application currently has close to 2,000 users in Bengaluru and Mumbai. “We have tied up with a few corporate houses and non-government organisations in Bengaluru and Pune wherein we provide tracking and safety services to them and have a network of customised RedDot volunteers’ network,” he said.