CQ SMART EMERGENCY BRACELET
Intemo Special Products
‘Sexual harassment is a major social issue in the Netherlands and the rest of the world. Girls and women are often victim of sexual intimidation or worse and have to adjust their behaviour by e.g. not going out for a run in the evening, or by only going out in groups. (…) Our main goal is to give girls and women their feeling of freedom back, by giving them a tool to make sure that in case of emergency help is close by.’ Michael Amiabel
As a team, we have developed a bracelet, primarily for girls and women, that will give them the opportunity to sound an alarm if they are in danger. By pulling the bracelet firmly the bracelet will activate an corresponding app on the smartphone. The app then sends a text message and email to parents, partner or friends with the message that the sender is at risk. This message is accompanied by a Google Maps location determination and a sound clip of approximately 15 seconds after the alarm is activated.
The bracelet design process was driven by a number of special challenges. The starting point was a neutral, modest – one size fits all – bracelet in which the microelectronics are integrated and for which a special ‘pull-to-activate’ mechanism has to be designed. In addition, the bracelet must be able to be produced in large series with low production costs and at the end of the life cycle the electronics and the bracelet must be easy to separate. Look & feel, user driven design, electronics development and research into production options went hand in hand in this project.
The result consists of a compact plastic housing, containing the extremely compact microelectronics, and attached to it a flexible thermoplastic strap that can be easily adjusted. The alarm is activated by pulling hard on the strap. The look & feel of the bracelet hides the fact that it is a high-tech product, making it very wearable!
client: Intemo Special Poducts, Helmond
initiative: Michael Amiabel, Social Engagement Consultancy, Laren
project management & application enigineer: Marius Stanasel
concept, design & engineering: DWARS ontwerp
year: 2019