India’s Government Developing Wristwatch To Combat Rape

Over the last several weeks several brutal gang-rapes of female bus passengers have been reported in India. To combat those types of attacks in the future the Indian government has commissioned the create of wearable tech that can protect potential victims.

At this time authorities believe a simple wearable wristwatch with a warning button will be enough to deter potential attackers.

As proposed the watch will include a panic button that when pressed will alert local police, family members and others about a persons attack.

The wristwatch would include a built-in GPS system to pinpoint the place of attack and it would feature a built-in video recorder with up to 30 minutes of footage recording capability.

According to India Real Time, a prototype is expected to arrive by the middle of 2013 and eventually a company will be selected to mass-produce the rape prevention wristwatches.

To operate the system the Indian government will ask for cooperation between their own agencies and India Telephone Industries (ITI), a state-run telecommunications equipment manufacturer.

Two versions of the watch are expected with the first costing $20 and the second offered at a premium of $50.

The organization Trust Law in 2011 ranked India as the fourth most dangerous country for women.

Only time will tell if a simple wristwatch worn by women in India can make a difference when it comes to violent attacks.

In the meantime the wearable tech industry is continuing to grow at a rapid rate. Earlier in the week we reported on wearable ‘Privacy Visor’ glasses that are capable of confusing facial recognition programs. Even Apple is getting into the wearable tech game with a patent for “Apple smart shoes” that tell a person when its time to buy a new pair of sneakers.

Do you think a wearable wristwatch can do its part to prevent violent attacks?

[Image via hdwallpapers]