An Massachusetts Institute of Technology student who developed a smart sticker that can prevent sexual assault in real time is getting worldwide attention for her wearable device.
Manisha Mohan, a Masters student at MIT, calls her invention “Intrepid.” The device calculates different methods of detecting initial signs of sexual assault and sends alerts to the wearer’s safety circle, according to The American Bazaar.
It uses hydrogel to stick to clothing without leaving residue and is connected to a smartphone through Bluetooth. It has an active mode, when the victim is unconscious and cannot defend themselves, and a passive mode, when the victim can use the safety mechanism themselves, reports India.com.
The firm that produces the Intrepid said the smart sticker will fight against sexual abuse of children, rapes on college campuses, and abuse of the elderly and disabled.
“Our clothing design is based on input from sexual assault survivors, 338 online participants, 67 volunteers and 20 users who helped us understand the real world feasibility of our system,” the company said in a statement.
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To use the sticker, the user must download the app that comes with it. Then the user can add their phone number and up to five other immediate contacts who will be sent a message when the device detects sexual assault.
Intrepid was tested on 70 people, most of which found it non-intrusive.
Speaking from her own experience, Mohan said women need more safety from sexual assault instead of being told to stop working.
“In the name of safety, many times women have been told to stop working or asked to be indoors, and I think instead of asking them to be indoors, we should have more safety for them,” Mohan said.
The website says every 98 seconds, a person in the U.S. is sexually abused and every 16 hours, a woman is murdered by her romantic partner or ex-partner. Mohan hopes to prevent sexual assaults and make people safer from sexual assault with her new invention.
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