Originally published October 30 2015
Smart jewelry allows wearers to alert police so they know where to find your body 12 minutes later
by J. D. Heyes
(NaturalNews) There's an old axiom that goes something like this: Whenever you're in trouble and you're faced with an immediate, direct threat to your life or property, don't worry; the police are always five minutes away.
The point is, of course, that if you have to wait for the police to arrive, it's already too late for you. That's why it is always better to arm yourself with the ability to fend off a threat on your own if necessary.
That's the first thing that comes to mind when reading about "smart jewelry", the latest fad in victimhood being marketed to a generation of Americans who, for the most part, cannot grasp the concept that evil people can and will do unspeakable things unless they are threatened or thwarted with a superior level of counter-force.
Gizmo Magazine reports that self-defense is important, but it should never conflict with a girl's fashion sense:
Pepper sprays and self-defense know-how are useful tools in protecting against violent attacks. But in the view of startup Roar, women shouldn't be made to change their lifestyles in order to feel safe.
Therefore, the company has developed a "discreet device" that can be worn as jewelry but is capable of alerting "loved ones to their whereabouts when trouble arises". This means that the jewelry doesn't even notify police first, which will only prolong their response. What if the "loved one" isn't available for some reason?
A noise transmitter?
The jewelry device, known as Athena, is described as "smart jewelry" and is intended to be worn around your neck, attached to your wrist or carried inside a handbag. There is a small circular magnetic clip that is equipped with Bluetooth and an activation button; when pressed, the device sends a signal of distress to pre-selected emergency contacts via the wearer/user's phone notifying them of their location.
"To help avoid false alarms, Athena's button is recessed and must be held down for three seconds to activate the signal," Gizmo Magazine reported. "While this will importantly allow the user's contacts to take action it is invariably going to be some time before help arrives. So Athena is also fitted with an alarm mode, which produces an 85-decibel noise intended to immediately spook an attacker and prevent things going from bad to worse."
When was the last time you paid attention to a car alarm going off?
Aware that this particular approach is not for everyone in every scenario, Roar is building into Athena a silent mode, allowing for the distress signal to be sent without triggering the alarm. This is actually not a bad concept when you consider that an unarmed mother might be hiding in a closet with her children from an armed intruder.
In addition, the company says it is currently developing a capability that makes an automated 911 call to notify emergency services once the button is pressed; now we're getting somewhere.
A better solution
Athena is the latest in a string of devices that are designed to send discreet calls for assistance when someone is facing an immediate threat of violence.
"Athena joins a number of other devices intended to offer discreet calls for help when facing a violent attack," Gizmo Magazine reported. "Last year we saw a successful crowdfunding campaign for a hair clip that senses impact to the head and notifies emergency contacts. Revolar, a small personal safety device that sends a distress signal when squeezed, also met its funding goal earlier this year."
It's hard to criticize the companies developing products like these; after all, they are developing them for a generation that is far-removed from an American culture that taught much more self-reliance. Nevertheless, devices like this one often provide a false sense of security that will fail miserably to perform as advertised in real-time scenarios. By then, of course, it will be too late.
If you live in an area where you're "allowed" to exercise your right to self-defense and you've been properly trained (and are always be observant of your surroundings), a better solution, in my view, is a firearm. There's no ambiguity and you won't have to rely on police officers who are always just five minutes away.
Sources include:
GizMag.com
Stupid.news
NaturalNews.com
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