November 14, 2006
Self Protection against muggers: Cameraphone with a panic button
Self-protection devices, such as pepper-spray and stun guns, are effective tools for women to fight off possible attackers and being mugged, writes IOL, "Yet, if an attack does take place, the victim is often too traumatized to provide the police with a detailed description of the attacker, hampering further investigations to apprehend and convict the attacker."
"This (patented) system is a means to discourage a would-be-attacker or burglar. It comprises a handheld camera-phone that is equipped with a panic button on the side of the phone housing. If the camera-phone owner suspects an attack, the phone is held up towards the assailant and the panic button pressed
A digital image of the attacker and GPS coordinates of the phone, as well as the time and details of the phone owner is automatically transmitted to a remote repository, where the data is stored on a server, which can be retrieved as evidence for the police investigation. At the same time, a text message with all the necessary details is transmitted to a security company with whom the user is registered alerting them of a distress call."
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