Nirbhaya device to help people in distress

Device to send SOS messages to police besides family during any emergency faced by user

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre at Mumbai has developed a personal distress signalling device 'Nirbhaya' that will send SOS messages to police besides near and dear ones during any emergency faced by its user.

The compact low cost tele-distress alarm device will be linked to a cell phone that would send SMSs to the police and the family in case of distress, "whatever be its nature... kidnap, attack, robbery or heart attack", according a release by the BARC.

The device, that is rugged and cannot be destroyed easily, has been named 'Nirbhaya' after the December 16 Delhi gangrape victim.

It can be easily carried around in a pocket or purse and requires a cell phone for its functionality, the release said.

During an emergency, the user has to press a single switch on the device and it will automatically send signal on bluetooth to multiple cell phones along with its GPS location.

The operating software of the device installed on the cell phone connected to it would send pre-formatted text messages to five pre-selected cell phone numbers, the release said.

Once the switch is on, it continues to send GPS location of the cell phone of the person in distress once every minute, and the phone transmits the messages as well as the location of the device repeatedly, the release said.

So, even if a kidnapper, for instance, manages to snatch the device, the last location of the victim would be known to police, it said.

The device has a rechargeable battery and comes handy when crimes against women are reported in big cities like Delhi, said a senior IPS officer here.