Electronics Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL) on Friday launched a distress alarm device called Nirbhaya.
The device when activated in an emergency situation will send text messages to five mobile numbers with latitude and longitude of the person under attack. These geographical coordinates will help the police track down the real-time movement of the person.
Signal Via bluetooth
The device sends the distress signal to the cellphone using bluetooth, which then gets forwarded as an SMS to the numbers. For the device to effective, it needs to be continuously connected with handset using the bluetooth gateway. Weighing about 100 gm, the device can easily be carried inside a pocket or purse.
In January, scientists at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre decided to develop the device after the understanding the plight of the victim in the Delhi rape case. Under the leadership of C.K. Pithawa, Director of Electronics and Instrumentation Group at BARC ,the device was developed in six months and then it was handed over to ECIL for commercialisation.
Chairman and Managing Director of ECIL P. Sudhakar said the device comes along with a software and it needs to be configured on the cellphone, which then sends a pre-formatted text message to cellphone numbers, of parents, relatives and friends,
It operates on a rechargeable battery, which has a standby time of over four days and an active time of more than 12 hours. The battery can be charged using a standard mobile charger. The ECIL plans to sell the device for about Rs 3,000 and soon it would be available in retail stores, he said.