- Student has developed wearable technology that aims to prevent sexual assault
- Jayun Patel designed a bracelet that alerts the police if a wearer is attacked
- The smart bracelet sends the authorities the wearer's coordinates if this happens
- Prototype cost just $40 to make, and price would likely drop if mass produced
A University of Alabama master's student has developed an unusual tool to combat sexual assault: a bracelet.
The device monitors wearers' vital signs and can pick up on changes that would signal being under attack.
The smart bracelet, still in the prototype stage, alerts a predetermined list of contacts and the police if it senses that the wearer is being harmed.
Additionally, it emits a loud alarm and is equipped with red strobe lights meant to scare away the attacker or get the attention of others in the vicinity.
Jayun Patel, a master's student at the University of Alabama, designed a smart bracelet that can alert the authorities if a wearer is attacked. The smart bracelet, still in the prototype stage, alerts a predetermined list of contacts and the police if it senses an emergency situation
The team behind the bracelet, Associate Professor Dr Ragib Hasan and master's student Jayun Patel, are hopeful that the device can prevent sexual assaults, which are extremely common on college campuses such as theirs.
Dr Hasan explained in a statement that the ability to call the authorities is usually unavailable to assault victims under attack.
He said: 'A major challenge to assault prevention is that, during an assault, victims often to not have an easily accessible way to call for help.
'Whether calling 911 or using an emergency alert app or device, each of these tools requires users to press a button in order to call for help.