safety idea for children / vulnerable people- waerable GPS tags / panic button

brightonman123

Clearing out some emails, i came across a note i made, which i came up with down the pub, as you do!


In light of news items, where people have gone missing (with demetia etc), thought it was worth sharing.. any thoughts welcome.

Either build into a watch, or as a (hidden) button on clothes-
In an emergency, user could ping a message to parents, or police / registered 'safe places', via local wifi spots??
(police coud also activate remotely, like a lo-jack for cars, to track location)

And/or emit a loud alarm, to attract attention..

The GPS element purely for finding them quickly, once activated- not for parents to spy on movements!

PasturesNew

There are watches to be worn by people who might go walkies.... and other items, even shoes with GPS. Trouble is, if they're that gaga they won't have those items on them.

You can't protect the elderly as they aren't in your control. You can only control kids.... and there's a lot of GPS tracker things etc already

Tigsteroonie

I know that there are already GPS trackers for children available, they need to be a bit bigger than a button to carry a battery & a SIM card to enable sending of a 'message' to say where they are. I think using local wifi hotspots would be tricky as they'd need to reconfigure to each one as the child/person moves? If they're in a button, you've also got the problem of needing to move that button from outfit to outfit.

Not that I'm down on your idea, just that I think others are already working on similar ideas.

Tiddlywinks

You can track an iphone can't you?

There are already GPS trackers that you can put on pets... so the technology is out there.

DigForVictory

I can understand tagging a child (although it gives me the creeps to think technology might 'replace' a parent) but most who are apt to stroll are equally capable of removing tag.

Even with the child's informed consent, such a tag would label them & if visible, be removable by others with malicious intent who would know a tag could be afforded. My vulnerable son is safer with his mates than 'tagged' as they know he trusts them to get his carcass to safety. A tag might blur the "whose job is this" line.

As for a flashing light & alarm, the ambling elderly who've wandered over the horizon might be terrified if their clothing suddenly began to flash & beep - I'd rather keep a human (or dog) nearby minding the horizon & leaving them their relative autonomy. More expensive but more civilised, I'd reckon.