This device can be filed under “Why has no one thought of this before?” The device I'm talking about is the Wearsafe Tag which just completed a successful Kickstarter campaign, raising over $100,000, well over their goal of $75,000.
The team at Wearsafe has been working for three years on developing a wearable safety product that is discreet, easy to use, and can connect you with help in seconds.
The tag can clip onto your pants, purse strap, pretty much anything and has a range of up to 200 feet from your smartphone. When the button is pushed, an alert is immediately sent out to your selected network (family, close friends, whoever you choose). The alert is received via text, email, and the Wearsafe app. It starts a group text and allows your network to see your GPS location, how quickly you're moving, and feeds live audio from your end. If necessary, the app also allows yourself or your network to call 911 directly from app.
“The Wearsafe Tag is adaptable for your whole life,” says Kim Glooch, Chief Creative Officer for Wearsafe Labs in a statement. “From morning through the night, the Wearsafe Tag is designed to fit into your varied lifestyle and to empower you to live your life with the added sense of security. This innovative product is ideal for everyone including, students, athletes, travelers and parents. You are your first line of defense, with one-touch connectivity Wearsafe will keep you safer wherever you are and more secure in whatever you’re doing.”
The Wearsafe team has a specific mission related to their wearable safety tech. Their goal is to save 10 million lives over the next 10 years (#10millionlives). The tag can be useful to anyone, anywhere, since you never really know when something bad might happen, but one place where it could really give people peace of mind is on college campuses.
Former U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Rich Staropoli, who is Wearsafe’s security advisor sees a tremendous need for the Wearsafe Tag on college campuses, “Research shows that 1 in 5 women will be a victim of sexual assault on college campuses during a typical four-year course of study.” Starapoli said in a statement. “As a father whose daughter is going to college in the fall I feel so strongly that this product should be on every college campus in America. With the knowledge that students could be wearing a Wearsafe-connected device, a college or university creates a significant deterring effect.”
The funding from Kickstarter will help them build and ship the first batch of Tags to their early adopters and backers. It will also help them raise awareness about their mission.
Here's a brief video demonstrating how it works.
