GPS bracelet ups the ante for person surveillance
Adiant Solutions' new Laipac S-911 bracelet is part watch, part emergency phone, and part GPS-tracker that features geo-fencing, over-speed alerts, and more.
GPS devices are becoming increasingly sophisticated and packed with features that at the very least create a sense of being, well, findable. One newcomer to the scene, the Laipac S-911 from Adiant Solutions, may be among the featuriest of them all.
Adiant is marketing the device to those who'd like to watch over children with autism or monitor elderly loved ones with dementia. But let's face it, this bracelet can do much more. Have teenagers you'd like to set virtual fences around? Aid workers to reach more easily in disaster zones? Registered sex offenders to keep outside of prohibited zones?
Look no further. The Laipac S-911 features a GSM cell phone with phone book and SOS button; AGPS for indoor tracking; G-sensing to alert when the wearer falls; and geo-fencing to alert when the wearer leaves--or enters--a given zone. The device even comes with a tamper detector in case said bracelet wearer does not want to, well, wear it.
"If we can help one person avoid an unnecessary fate, we will have succeeded, but I feel we will help many, many people with this solution," Adiant founder and CEO Jim Jeselun said in a press release.
Automatic answering is another interesting feature. If the wearer does not pick up after three rings, the call automatically goes through and can be heard over a speaker. The idea here is to be able to talk to someone who has, say, fallen and cannot answer. Of course, if you're a parent who thinks your teenager might be engaging in an R-rated moment, forcing your voice through this thing should work quite nicely as well.
Adiant spokesperson Peter Nilsson says the bracelet, which is manufactured in Canada, is available online for $495 plus a $59.95 monthly service fee that includes unlimited tracking and texting and 120 minutes of voice-to-voice. He says the bracelet has been available for a few months, but that Adiant is only now announcing its release as it has had to work out a few kinks.
For instance, because of the sheer size and bulk of the bracelet, the company plans to release a keychain-size version in 60 to 90 days to accommodate children and slim-wristed adults.