For women, taking a night jog can feel frightening. When it's dark, we sometimes hold our keys between our knuckles and notify our friends to let them know when we're home.
The activewear brand Yogasmoga is looking to settle some of these worries. On March 22, it announced an investment in Wearsafe Labs, a company that makes a wearable panic button that alerts users' contacts when they're in trouble. Yogasmoga hopes to eventually implant the device into the brand's yoga pants, Fast Company reports.
"They [women] can run those long runs knowing there is help if they need it," Michelle Bonner, a spokesperson for Wearsafe, tells Tech Insider.
The wearable button, which is only a little larger than a quarter, can attach to keys or be carried in a pocket. Using Bluetooth, it connects to the Wearsafe's iOS app, where users can set up emergency contacts.
When the button is pushed, it sends a text, email, and notification through the app. If a family member or friend then opens the link, they see a map showing the GPS location, a group chat, and an option to call 911.
Meanwhile, the device records and relays 60-second audio in real time to the user's network, in the hopes the group can piece together what's happening (The button is actually recording audio continuously — the first 60 seconds of audio the user's network will hear is before the button is even pressed.) The device then softly vibrates to let the user know help is on the way.
The Wearsafe button costs $39, and the compatible app charges $5 a month — which comes out to $99 if you use it for a year.
It's the latest discreet wearable meant to protect women from assault. Others include the pendant necklace Stiletto and the bracelet Cuff, a bracelet; but these can't clip onto clothing and aren't meant for jogs.
There are also a number of smartphone apps, like SafeTrek and Real Alert that send distress signals, but they're useless if the user's phone is stolen. Wearsafe tries to address this, since the button works up to 200 feet away from a phone.
"It's ideal for women — we have ADT [security systems] for our homes, car insurance for our automobiles, health insurance for our bodies and even our animals — but what do we do to protect ourselves and allow us to live the life we want to live, whether running alone, traveling, walking the streets of a busy city?" Bonner says.
Although it doesn't challenge the root cause of stalking or assaults — i.e. the attackers — wearables like these could speed emergency response times and make women feel safer. If only we didn't need to pay nearly $100 for peace of mind.
