Wearsafe is an American personal safety company located in Hartford, CT. Their primary wearable technology is a device that uses bluetooth technology to connect a button-like Tag with a smartphone app.[1] When pressed, the Tag alerts a user's selected network of the location of the emergency, as well as sending a live audio feed of the incident to a group chat function. Wearsafe's mission is to "make the world a safer place by redefining the way people seek and provide help"-- by reaching a wide variety of customers, including outdoors sportsmen and anyone looking to control their personal safety, including preventing sexual assault.[2]

History and Mission

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Wearsafe was created in response to the Cheshire Home Invasion Murders of 2007. The founders, David Benoit and Phillip Giancarlo, began work on the technology in 2011 with copatent providers Rick Borden, Kyle Busque and Keven Busque. The company has received significant investments from Ravi Singh, Yogasmogo and other investors.[3][4] The goal of Wearsafe Labs is to "connect students with trusted contacts, enabling them to feel safe wherever they are."[5] Wearsafe is designed to both aid victims in an emergency and deter attackers. According to Digital Trends, former U.S. Secret Service special agent Rich Starpoli, who served Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, says “with the knowledge that students could be wearing a Wearsafe-connected device, a college or university creates a significant deterring effect.”[6]

Products

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The Wearsafe Tag is a small, wearable button that operates similarly to other wearable personal safety devices: by connecting to a smartphone.[7] The device also works without a smartphone, but is limited to 200 ft (70 m) from the location.[8] According to the Boston Globe, "Activating the Wearsafe tag not only triggers a set of alerts sent to a designated list of contacts, but sends live location information and audio from the scene and opens a 'virtual situation room' between respondents in order to coordinate help (or call 911). The 'Rewind' function [plays] audio recorded in the 60 seconds prior to activation to provide context. Whatever action taken on a call for distress, the tag vibrates the reassure the caller that help is on the way:[9] The Wearsafe Tag buffers live audio whenever it is turned on.

Wearsafe's Tag pairs with a mobile app to connect with the user's selected network. The Wearsafe Tag sends GPS coordinates and audio context to the network. In an article in Law Technology Today, Attorney N. Kane Bennett, a former Massachusetts prosecutor and current litigator in civil matters, concluded that “an audio recording from the actual incident, in real time, is incredibly powerful evidence in a criminal or civil case.”[10] The app provides reassurance to the victim that help is on the way-- which Secret Service Agents, Navy SEALS, and CIA Agents "pointed out that people who have reassurance that help is on the way have a much, much higher probability of a successful outcome in a stressful situation."[11]

References

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  1. ^ Courant, Hartford (23 January 2016). "CT Duo Create Wearable Safety Tag Inspired By 2007 Cheshire Home Invasion". Retrieved 2016-09-06.
  2. ^ "The Wearsafe Tag could be a game-changer in fighting sexual assault". 2016-03-06. Retrieved 2016-09-06.
  3. ^ "Wearsafe Labs lands nearly $3M investment". Retrieved 2016-09-06.
  4. ^ "Yoga pants of the future may have panic buttons". Retrieved 2016-09-06.
  5. ^ Staff, CS (22 July 2016). "Making Students and Their Families Feel Safer and More Confident on Any College Campus". www.campussafetymagazine.com. Retrieved 2016-09-06.
  6. ^ "The Wearsafe Tag could be a game-changer in fighting sexual assault". 2016-03-06. Retrieved 2016-09-06.
  7. ^ "This startup has a smart ring designed to keep you safe". Retrieved 2016-09-06.
  8. ^ "WearSafe Safety Clip". Retrieved 2015-09-15.
  9. ^ "How wearable devices can keep you safe - The Boston Globe". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2016-09-06.
  10. ^ "Wearsafe May Change Assault Cases Everywhere - Law Technology Today". www.lawtechnologytoday.org. 18 August 2016. Retrieved 2017-03-14.
  11. ^ "How This Startup Built a Wearable for Worst-Case Scenarios". Inc.com. 2017-08-22. Retrieved 2017-03-14.